Our Leadership

Corporate

Chris Kempczinski

President and Chief Executive Officer

Morgan Flatley

Global Chief Marketing Officer

Manu Steijaert

Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer

Heidi Capozzi

Executive Vice President and Global Chief People Officer

Jon Banner

Executive Vice President and Global Chief Impact Officer

Marion Gross

Executive Vice President and Global Chief Supply Chain Officer

Mark Ostermann

Vice President, Strategic Alignment and Chief of Staff, Office of the CEO

Kevin Ozan

Senior Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives

Ian Borden

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

Desiree Ralls-Morrison

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary

Brian Rice

Executive Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer

Regional

Joe Erlinger

President, McDonald's USA

Jo Sempels

President, IDL Markets

Jill McDonald

Executive Vice President and President, International Operated Markets

John Alves

Chief Marketing Office and Corporate Vice President, International Operated Markets  

Paul Pomroy

Corporate Senior Vice President, International Operated Markets

Emilee DeMartino

Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, IOM

Functions

Bethany Tate Cornell

Senior Vice President, Chief Learning and Development Officer

Catherine Hoovel

Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller

Reggie Miller

Vice President, Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer

Michael Gonda

Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer

Amy Kovalan

Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer

Jenny McColloch

Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer

Chris Kempczinski

    

Chris Kempczinski

President and Chief Executive Officer
 

As President and CEO of McDonald’s, Chris leads the millions of dedicated McFamily members who help create delicious, feel-good moments for everyone.

Chris is responsible for driving McDonald’s growth strategy, Accelerating the Arches, and ensuring that the Company’s values are embedded throughout the System as the filter through which all our business decisions are made, bringing its corporate purpose – to feed and foster community – to life.

Prior to becoming CEO, Chris served as President of McDonald’s USA, leading the business operations of approximately 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants throughout the United States.

Chris joined McDonald’s in 2015 as Executive Vice President, Strategy, Business Development and Innovation.  In this role, he worked closely with our business leaders and franchisees to identify innovative new ideas and best practices to accelerate system growth.

Chris has more than 25 years of experience working in premier global consumer companies.  He began his career in brand management at Procter & Gamble, and also held senior positions at PepsiCo, and most recently at Kraft Foods where he was EVP, Growth Initiatives and President, International. 

In addition to serving on the McDonald’s Board of Directors, he is also a trustee of Ronald McDonald House Charities. Outside of McDonald’s, Chris serves on the Board of Directors for Procter & Gamble.

Chris is a proud alumnus of both Duke University and Harvard Business School. He lives in Chicago, IL, with his wife and two kids.

Morgan Flatley

   

Morgan Flatley

Chief Marketing Officer


As Global Chief Marketing Officer, Morgan Flatley leads the development and execution of bold marketing strategies to create stronger customer connections around the world. She is passionate about accelerating growth through marketing with creative, future-led, consumer and data-driven insights. In this role, Morgan will lean into digital to continue elevating consumers’ love and trust for the McDonald’s brand around the world.

Since joining McDonald’s in 2017, Morgan has been the driving force behind some of the Brand’s most inspired marketing campaigns. In 2020, as U.S. Chief Marketing & Digital Customer Experience Officer, she led her team to unleash world-class creative and harness the power of social media with bold, forward-thinking ideas. This approach led to initiatives such as the “Fan Truths” strategy and the record-breaking “Famous Orders” collaborations, resulting in dozens of creative excellence awards.

Morgan was named to the Forbes World’s Most Influential CMOs list for two consecutive years, rising to #6 worldwide in 2021. She has also been recognized with Adweek’s most prestigious honor, Brand Genius, and she was named Advertising Woman of the Year by the Chicago Advertising Federation. Under Morgan’s leadership, McDonald’s was #2 on Ad Age’s 2020 Marketers of the Year List. McDonald’s was also recognized in Fast Company’s 2021 Brands That Matter and as one of the most relevant consumer brands.  

Morgan developed her passion for global brands early in her career. Following three years at Saatchi & Saatchi, she joined PepsiCo and led marketing and innovation for Gatorade. As Chief Marketing Officer for the Global Nutrition portfolio, she oversaw brand positioning and innovation for Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade and Naked.

Morgan earned her MBA from Harvard Business School and her bachelor’s degree from Dartmouth College. She is a Henry Crown Fellow of the Aspen Institute. She lives in Chicago with her husband and three children.

Manu

Manu Steijaert

Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer


As McDonald’s Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, Manu Steijaert leads the Customer Experience team focused on transforming how customers engage with the McDonald’s Brand. In this role, Manu oversees the company’s Data Analytics, Digital Customer Engagement, Global Marketing and Global Restaurant Development and Restaurant Solutions teams, creating a more authentic and compelling experience at each physical and digital McDonald’s customer touchpoint.

Manu has been part of the McDonald’s System for more than 20 years, with extensive knowledge of the company’s global customer base and deep understanding of the needs of McDonald’s customers.

Most recently, Manu led McDonald’s International Operated Markets (IOM) Business Unit, where he drove a customer-led and growth-focused approach to supporting the country leadership teams in 12 markets.

From 2015 to 2019, Manu served as Managing Director in the Netherlands, during which the region generated significant growth in sales, guest counts, Operating Income and Owner Operator Cash Flow. Prior to this role, he was Vice President of Operations in France, overseeing the creation of the Experience of the Future program, which is currently deployed in all McDonald’s restaurants worldwide. Manu began his career at McDonald’s in 2001 as a Field Service Consultant in Belgium.

As the son of a former Belgian McDonald’s Owner Operator, Manu’s first restaurant experience dates back to 1987, when he worked as a crew member at his parents’ restaurants.

Manu studied art and design at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium. He has participated in McDonald’s Hamburger University curriculum, as well as continuing education opportunities in data and technology.

Manu is fluent in Dutch, English, French and German.

Heidi

 

 

Heidi Capozzi

Executive Vice President and Global Chief People Officer


As McDonald’s Executive Vice President and Global Chief People Officer, Heidi Capozzi oversees the company’s human resources operations around the world. In this role she leads Corporate Employee Relations, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, Total Rewards, and Talent Management among other areas.

Heidi began her career at McDonald’s in April 2020. She joined McDonald’s from The Boeing Company, where she served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources since 2016. At Boeing, Heidi led initiatives for 160,000 employees across a $76 billion global enterprise and oversaw the company’s leadership and learning, talent planning, employee and labor relations, total rewards, and diversity and inclusion initiatives. Under her guidance, Boeing reimagined their HR model and transformed talent development and mobility system wide.

Heidi also previously served as Boeing’s Vice President of Talent & Leadership, director of Human Resources for the Airplane Programs division of Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and director of Human Resources for the Surveillance and Engagement division of Boeing Military Aircraft.

Prior to her time at Boeing, Heidi led human resources, internal services and quality for Insitu—a start-up pioneer in the design, development, production and operation of unmanned aircraft systems. In addition to Insitu, which is now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Boeing, Heidi held leadership roles in human resources and communications at Northrop Grumman and TRW’s automotive and defense business.

Heidi is a member of the Board of Directors for the Midtown Educational Foundation, Skills for Chicagoland’s Future, and the Human Resources Policy Association.

Heidi holds a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College in political science and East Asian studies and earned a master's degree in human resources and industrial relations from the University of Minnesota.

Jon Banner

Jon Banner

Executive Vice President and Global Chief Impact Officer


As Executive Vice President and Global Chief Impact Officer, Jon is leading the effort to harness the unmatched scale and reach of McDonald’s to affect purposeful change around the world. The Global Impact team – which fully integrates our Sustainability & ESG, Government Relations and Public Policy, Communications and International Corporate Relations functions, as well as Ronald McDonald House Charities – is working to deliver on a refreshed purpose to feed and foster communities. With presence in nearly 40,000 local communities across 100+ countries, McDonald’s is uniquely positioned to drive action in four key areas of focus: food quality and sourcing, our planet, community connection, and jobs, inclusion and empowerment.

Prior to McDonald’s, Jon spent 10 years at PepsiCo, one of the world’s largest food and beverage companies. There he served in a similar capacity, responsible for the Communications function and the PepsiCo Foundation, and worked closely with the company’s Sustainability and Government Affairs teams. During this time, he co-created the company’s sustainability vision, PepsiCo Positive (pep+), an end-to-end transformation of how the company creates growth and shared value with sustainability and human capital at the center. He also reimagined the Foundation’s global strategy towards advancing a more sustainable food system through new partnerships and investments to alleviate hunger, provide access to safe water, and drive economic empowerment.

Prior to PepsiCo, Jon spent the majority of his career at Disney/ABC, traveling the world as the Executive Producer on some of the most influential news programs, including “World News Tonight” and “This Week”, winning numerous Emmy Awards for groundbreaking coverage.

Outside of McDonald’s, Jon is a member of the Board of Directors for World Food Program USA, a non-profit that supports the mission of the UN World Food Programme to advance the global movement to end hunger.

Jon holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Media Studies from Boston University.

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Marion Gross

Marion Gross

Executive Vice President and Global Chief Supply Chain Officer

 

Marion oversees McDonald’s Global Supply Chain and is responsible for developing and executing sustainable sourcing strategies across the company’s supply chain footprint.

In this role, Marion and her team ensure relationships with suppliers are based on transparency, inclusion and trust, which lead to strong business performance and a unique competitive advantage for the McDonald’s System. Her team leverages the scale of $50 billion spend in food, packaging, logistics, toys, technology, equipment and other services while driving safety, quality and sustainability leadership in the industry. They also work closely with McDonald’s Global Impact Team to implement actions that drive resilience and brand trust in service of the company’s purpose to feed and foster communities.

Previously, Marion served as Senior Vice President and Chief Supply Chain Officer, North America, where she was responsible for executing the strategic direction of McDonald’s Supply Chain, including the oversight of nearly $14 billion in food and beverage, equipment, packaging and premiums, and distribution for more than 15,000 restaurants across the U.S. and Canada.

Marion began her career with the McDonald’s system in 1986 at HAVI where she managed transportation and logistics, environmental affairs, packaging R&D and procurement supporting McDonald’s. She joined McDonald’s in 1993, responsible for managing the supply of several national product categories. Post earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Logistics and Distribution from Western Illinois University in Macomb, IL, Marion held distribution roles in sales and operations.

Marion was recognized by the National Diversity Council for being one of Illinois’ 2012 Most Powerful and Influential Women and has been recognized by Black Enterprise as one of the 50 most powerful women in corporate America, 2015, Most Powerful Women in Business, 2017, 300 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America, 2018, one of the Most Powerful Woman in Corporate America in 2019, a 2019 CNN Risk Taker and a 2019 Chicago United Business Leader of Color.

Outside of McDonald’s, she actively supports causes that care for the homeless, under-served children, Special Olympics® and veterans having proudly served our country. She serves as Vice Chair on the board of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Chicagoland & Northwest Indiana and is an Executive Committee member.

She and her husband, Brian, reside in the Chicago area.

Mark Ostermann

Vice President, Strategic Alignment and Chief of Staff, Office of the CEO


As Vice President, Strategic Alignment and Chief of Staff for the Office of the CEO, Mark works closely with McDonald’s senior leaders to drive the brand’s most significant strategies and accelerate growth across 39,000 restaurants in more than 100 countries.

Mark joined McDonald’s in 2012 and most recently held the role of Vice President, Corporate Strategy & Global Delivery. In this role, he was responsible for leading global strategic planning and was instrumental in the rapid scaling of McDelivery from a $1 billion business to more than $4 billion in 3 years.

Mark has also held roles in Global Insights, Global Menu Strategy, and US Strategy & Insights.

Prior to McDonald’s, Mark was a Principal and core member of the consumer practice at The Boston Consulting Group. He began his career in PR and marketing for Compaq Computer Corporation, first on the agency side and then in-house.

Mark graduated magna cum laude from The College of William & Mary with a bachelor’s degree in International Studies. He also holds an MBA with honors from The University of Chicago.

  

Kevin Ozan

Senior Executive Vice President, Strategic Initiatives


As Senior Executive Vice President of Strategic Initiatives, Kevin leads McDonald’s Strategy team. In this role, Kevin identifies and focuses on areas where we can continue to evolve our Accelerating the Arches growth strategy long into the future, and provides active counsel as teams execute against the strategy.

Previously, Kevin served as McDonald’s Chief Financial Officer for more than 7 years, overseeing accounting, internal audit, treasury, tax, global business services and investor relations functions. During his time as CFO, the company increased systemwide sales by over 25% to more than $100 billion, increased the number of restaurants worldwide by more than 10% to nearly 40,000 restaurants, and returned over $50 billion to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases.

Prior to joining McDonald’s in 1997, he worked for 11 years in Ernst & Young’s audit and mergers & acquisitions practices.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Michigan and a Master in Business Administration from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

Ian Borden headshot

      

Ian Borden

Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer


As Chief Financial Officer, Ian oversees McDonald’s accounting, internal audit, treasury, tax, global franchising, global business services and investor relations functions, and as a member of McDonald’s senior leadership team, he works to position McDonald’s for long-term enduring success.

As CFO, Ian sets financial direction and develops strategies designed to drive sustained, profitable growth for the company and enhance value for stakeholders. Ian’s team ensures the optimal allocation of resources, and at the same time, effectively manages risk through strong controls and fiscal discipline.

Ian has spent more than 25 years at McDonald’s leading markets and functions globally. Most recently, Ian served as President, International, overseeing International Operated Markets (IOM) – all wholly-owned markets outside of the U.S. – and International Developmental Licensed (IDL) markets – the more than 80 markets in which McDonald’s has licensed its franchising rights to strategic partners. In this role, Ian delivered sustained business momentum, improved customer trust, and grew share across the market segment through a strong focus on the Accelerating the Arches growth strategy, including digital, delivery and restaurant modernization initiatives.

Prior to that, he led the International Developmental Licensed Markets, where he was responsible for 46 developmental licensees (DLs) across more than 80 markets around the world, including Brazil, China, India and Philippines, which continue to represent the majority of McDonald’s new restaurant growth globally. Ian previously served as Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Asia-Pacific, Middle East and Africa, and as the Regional Vice President of Europe’s East Division. Ian also spent time as Managing Director of McDonald’s Ukraine.

Desiree

Desiree Ralls-Morrison

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary
 

As McDonald’s EVP, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Desiree Ralls-Morrison oversees the company’s global legal operations, responsible for supporting the company’s strategies, anticipating and managing risk, and advancing McDonald’s brand and values. She also advises both the Board of Directors and CEO.

Before joining McDonald’s, Desiree spent more than three  years as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Boston Scientific Corporation, where she provided global legal leadership across all of its businesses, regions and functions. Desiree grew and strengthened a high-performing legal team, effectively aligning legal objectives to meet business objectives, and served as a trusted advisor to the leadership team and Board of Directors. Prior to Boston Scientific Corporation, Desiree served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Boehringer Ingelheim USA, Inc., and General Counsel of the Consumer Group at Johnson & Johnson. She began her career in litigation roles at the law firms of Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Shipman & Goodwin LLP.

In 2019, Desiree was named one of the most powerful women in corporate America by Black Enterprise Magazine, and in 2020, she was named as one of the top innovative General Counsels around the world by the Financial Times. 

Desiree serves on the Board of Directors for DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. and as a Director for The Partnership, Inc., whose mission is to ensure the economic competitiveness of the Boston area by attracting, retaining and convening professionals of color. Desiree is also a Founding Member of The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund in Massachusetts. 

She earned her juris doctor from Harvard Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from Wesleyan University.

Desiree

Brian Rice

Executive Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer


As McDonald’s Executive Vice President and Global Chief Information Officer, Brian Rice manages the technology portfolio and partnerships that are transforming customer and employee experiences and accelerating business growth worldwide. The global technology organization powers the industry-leading capabilities – from restaurant and digital technologies to business infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Brian is committed to building upon McDonald’s accelerated growth through technology investments that will deliver the best experience for both customers and employees. This includes loyalty – which is now in nearly 50 markets – introducing new innovations like artificial intelligence and automated order taking, and modernizing data systems to move faster while improving the experience for customers and crew.

Prior to joining McDonald’s, Brian led enterprise technology teams at well-known brands and global businesses, including Kellogg Company, Mars, General Motors and Cardinal Health. At each turn, Brian successfully modernized technology systems, built new capabilities, and elevated the role of digital in building relationships with customers to drive growth. Notably, as EVP, Chief Information Officer and Global Business Services at Cardinal Health, Brian completed one of the largest SAP implementations in the industry, to drive value throughout the company. Prior to, at Kellogg, Brian established the company’s global Digital Marketing foundation, which allowed Kellogg to build relationships with consumers in a targeted and personalized way, including the creation of its loyalty program – Kellogg Family Rewards.

Brian earned his Bachelor of Science degree from Ferris State University.

McDonald’s USA

     

Joe Erlinger

President, McDonald's USA


Joe Erlinger is President of McDonald’s USA, where he is responsible for the business operations of more than 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the United States. Most recently, he served as President, International Operated Markets, with overall responsibility for McDonald’s wholly-owned markets outside the U.S.

Joe began his McDonald’s career in Strategy and New Business Development in 2002. From there, he moved on to roles of increasing scope and responsibilities that included regional and international leadership such as Vice President & General Manager of the Indianapolis Region and Managing Director, McDonald’s Korea. In 2015, he stepped into the Chief Financial Officer role for McDonald’s High Growth Markets.

From 2016 to 2018, Joe led the High Growth segment as President. He was responsible for 6,000 McDonald’s restaurants across China, Hong Kong, Italy, Netherlands, Poland, Russia, South Korea, Spain, and Switzerland. During his tenure, the China and Hong Kong markets were converted to developmental licenses in the largest re-franchising transaction completed in McDonald’s history.

International Markets

Jo Sempels headshot

Jo Sempels

President, IDL Markets


As President of IDL Markets, Jo is responsible for the more than 80 markets in which McDonald’s has licensed its franchising rights to strategic partners. His team works hand in hand with these 48 developmental licensees (DL) whose collective footprint includes 11,265 restaurants around the world.

Jo has been part of the McDonald's System for almost 30 years, resulting in a deep knowledge of the McDonald's business and a true passion for understanding customers' needs. He is a strong advocate of the power of the McDonald’s ‘three-legged stool’ and what can be achieved through collaboration between DL partners, suppliers, and corporate teams. 

Before stepping into his current role, Jo led the IDL European Business Unit from 2015 until 2018.  While overseeing these 29 European markets and their more than 1,750 restaurants, Jo established a new structure and team for the European organization, resulting in consistently strong sales results.  During his tenure, he was instrumental in converting the four Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden) and Hungary into developmental licensee organizations.

Jo started his McDonald's career as an intern in finance in Belgium in 1992. From here, he moved to roles of increasing scope and responsibility, before assuming the role of Managing Director for the Belgium market in 2001, and Managing Director for the Netherlands in 2005. Throughout his McDonald’s career, he has achieved exceptional results by resetting the fundamentals of the business, focusing on operational excellence and ensuring strong collaboration and engagement with franchisees and DL partners.

Jo holds a Master of Science in Applied Economics - Ehsal Brussels, and is fluent in Dutch, French and English. 

Jill McDonald

Jill McDonald

Executive Vice President and President, International Operated Markets


As Executive Vice President International Operated Markets (IOMs), Jill oversees our five largest wholly-owned international markets and our IOM Business Unit, consisting of our remaining wholly-owned international markets. 

Jill began her career as a marketing trainee at Colgate Palmolive and later joined British Airways, rising through the company to eventually lead Global Marketing. She first joined McDonald’s as Chief Marketing Officer for our UK business and Northern Europe.

In 2010, Jill became the Managing Director for our UK business and President, Northern Europe, sustaining strong performance across all metrics of our company, including a strengthened brand, a reinvigorated employee experience and double-digit sales growth, all while fostering successful franchisee performance and engagement.  

After a highly successful tenure, Jill spent seven years outside of McDonald’s, building on her deep marketing experience and leading several consumer-focused businesses including Halfords, Marks & Spencer Clothing & Home and Costa Coffee.

She returned to the McFamily in 2022 to accelerate the next phase of the IOM segment’s growth, elevating our marketing and creative excellence while enhancing our crew and customer experience to unlock new growth opportunities in the IOMs.

Jill holds a BA in Business Studies from Brighton University, United Kingdom, and a Chartered Institute of Marketing Diploma. She serves as a Non-Executive Director of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG).

John Alves headshot

John Alves

Chief Marketing Officer and Corporate Vice President, International Operated Markets


As Chief Marketing Officer and Corporate Vice President of International Operated Markets, John Alves leads the development and execution of marketing strategies for McDonald’s six largest markets outside of the U.S. (China, UK, France, Germany, Canada and Australia). Under John’s leadership, the marketing function is responsible for building equity in the brand, driving stronger connections with customers and elevating the company’s brand value and reputation.

In his previous role, John was Managing Director of McDonald's Spain for two years, delivering a period of exceptional results. During his tenure, he oversaw the rapid deployment of McDelivery nationwide, as well as launching high-potential platforms – including McCafé – and a highly innovative program of restaurant development in market.  

John began his career with McDonald’s in 2003 as Marketing Manager for Portugal. He held progressive leadership roles, including Marketing Director for the Southern Europe region and Vice-President of Food, Strategy & Insight for McDonald’s Europe, overseeing Food Strategy & Development, as well as guiding business and brand knowledge across the European markets. In July 2015, he was appointed Chief Marketing Officer for the High Growth Markets Segment, comprising nine markets across Asia and Europe.

Before joining McDonald's, John spent six years as a Financial Analyst and Brand Management Specialist in P&G Portugal and Switzerland, where he held various positions and was responsible for managing high-impact projects throughout Europe.

Paul Pomroy

Paul Pomroy

Corporate Senior Vice President, International Operated Markets

 
Paul Pomroy was appointed Corporate Senior Vice President, International Operated Markets in November 2021, and oversees 12 markets, including Italy and Spain, encompassing more than 3,500 restaurants.

Paul has been a key member of the McDonald’s team for 25 years and in that time has held a variety of leadership roles, always maintaining strong relationships with Franchisees and suppliers. His progression through the company has included responsibilities as Regional Financial Controller, Head of Business Strategy and Head of Commercial Finance.  He was appointed Vice President Finance of the UK business 2008. In 2012, Paul was promoted to the position of Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, with additional responsibility for the company’s Development and Supply Chain functions.

In his most recent position, CEO of McDonald’s UK & Ireland, Paul led the business through a period of strong and sustainable growth, delivering successful customer-led plans including the launch of McDelivery and the evolution of the at home service.

Passionate about people, Paul has overseen moves on both pay and contracts for restaurant teams, and actively championed a focus on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, striving to create a truly inclusive culture throughout the business. Under his stewardship, the UK and Ireland business achieved gender balance at every level, including the Executive leadership team, and was nationally recognised McDonald’s as the Top Employer for working mums, as well as being awarded the Best Employer for Mental Health.

Paul’s life outside of work is centred around his family, spending as much time as possible with his two young boys. As a working dad, Paul has consistently led conversations within the business and industry on the challenges of balancing a demanding work life with being a good husband, father, and friend. In both his work and personal life, Paul strongly believes in living by a lesson passed on from his Mum: Treat others the way you want to be treated yourself. 

Len Jillard headshot

Emilee DeMartino

Senior Vice President and Chief People Officer, IOM

As the Senior Vice President & Chief People Officer for the International Markets at McDonalds, Emilee leads the International Market People teams. In this role, Emilee partners across the system to influence people strategies to growth the business, strengthen brand trust, foster collaboration, and elevate the people experience.

Emilee has held a variety of leadership roles since joining McDonald’s in April 2018, leading critical work to solidify our people-first culture - including redefining our Values and aligning them with our Accelerating the Arches strategy, establishing Global Brand Standards, driving essential modernization efforts, and shaping our Diversity, Equity & Inclusion strategy. She has also served as the US Global Women’s Leadership Network Co-Vice Chair.

In her prior role as Vice President of Center HR & People Experience - Emilee led the Corporate Functions HR Business Partner team, HR Operations, Reputation & Engagement, Workplace Solutions, Safety, Security & Intelligence, Change Management, and Aviation. In this role, she has led several strategic initiatives; from the Future of Work - inclusive of the COVID-19 response and return to office for corporate staff to an HR Transformation to modernize service delivery and improve the employee experience. Emilee has also served as Vice President, People Strategy with responsibility for People Data & Insights, Strategic Planning & PMO, Enterprise Change Management, Communication, and People Technology Alignment.

Prior to joining McDonald’s, Emilee was Vice President of Change & Culture at CNA Financial Corporation, where she focused on advancing new go-to-market business strategies, organizational restructuring, implementing a new HRIS, leading the design and move of a new headquarters location, and establishing a new leadership model in line with the purpose and values.

Emilee has also worked in management consulting with Accenture and Mercer, where she coached executives and consulted for organizations around the world – focused on building a Human Capital Strategy and Change Management practice and implementing numerous large-scale organizational changes.

Emilee holds a bachelor’s degree from Fort Hays State University in Business Administration & Management, with focus in Leadership Studies and earned her master’s in business administration from Kansas State University. She has also completed Columbia University’s, Creating & Executing Breakthrough Strategies Executive Program and has obtained her Co-active Coaching Certification (CPCC).

Functions

Bethany Cornell headshot

Bethany Tate Cornell

Senior Vice President, Chief Learning and Development Officer


Bethany Tate Cornell joined McDonald’s in November 2020 as Sr. Vice President - Chief Learning and Development Officer, leading the talent development strategy for McDonald’s internal global workforce and corporate owned restaurants.  She leads key initiatives, including digital learning, that accelerate and elevate learner experiences throughout 14,000 US restaurants and restaurants located in 120 countries globally. Bethany leads Hamburger University across 8 global locations, providing experiential and virtual learning to upskill restaurant management and crew members.

Prior to McDonald’s, Bethany spent 30 years leading talent development and learning innovations at six companies, including Boeing, GE, Gap, Ethan Allen, IBM and The Interlock Group.

Most recently at Boeing, Bethany was Vice President of Leadership, Learning and Organizational Capability (LLOC), where she was responsible for implementing the enterprise learning, culture transformation and workforce development strategies in support of Boeing’s business imperatives for 150K employees in 65 countries. Bethany served as on-site executive with oversight and accountability for the Boeing Leadership Center (BLC) and campus. While at Boeing, Bethany led global expansion of Boeing Learning portfolio including two global learning campuses (UK, Singapore), increased local offerings and reach 3x, launched Boeing Learning Ambassador network of 100+ non-HR leaders in all non-US regions. She drove the democratization of learning building the Boeing Digital Campus providing digitally accessible learning and micro certifications through partnership with Degreed.com reaching 51K active global users.

She serves on the Chief Learning and Talent Officer Board of The Institute for Corporate Productivity (i4cp), focusing on global issues for learning and talent. She is also a member of the Rework America Business Network (RABN) focused on reskilling and upskilling our national workforce.

Bethany is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP) and Ithaca College, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in education and communications media and a Master of Science in corporate communications and instructional design. Cornell serves as an alumni board member and student mentor for Ithaca College Park School of Communications.

Catherine Hoovel headshot

Catherine Hoovel

Senior Vice President, Corporate Controller
 

Catherine was McDonald’s Chief Accounting Officer from October 2016 to 2021. In this role she was accountable for all external reporting and SEC compliance, accounting technical guidance and accounting policies.

Prior to that she was Sr. Director, U.S. McOpCo Controller from April of 2014 to September of 2016. As a member of the McOpCo Business Unit Leadership Team she was responsible for financial management, portfolio optimization, operational financial consulting and safety risk management.

Catherine has also held roles as Sr. Director Global Planning and Analysis, Director Financial Management and Development for US McOpCo, Director of Financial Reporting and Director Corporate Analysis and Support.

Catherine’s background also includes time in the U.S. Controller Group supporting key business initiatives and five years in the Corporate Controller Group in both external reporting and Europe management reporting roles where she was a 2001 McDonald’s President’s Award winner. Catherine also spent two years in Internal Audit working on international market audits.

Prior to joining McDonald’s in 1996, she worked at Ernst & Young for 3 years in their audit practice. Catherine is a CPA, has her undergraduate degree in accounting from The University of Illinois, and her MBA with a Finance concentration from DePaul University.

Catherine lives in Illinois with her husband Brian Giffin and their four children.

Reggie Miller headshot

Reggie Miller

Vice President, Global Chief Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Officer
 

As McDonald’s Vice President, Global Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer, Reginald J. Miller oversees the company’s global I&D strategy with a focus on transformational change around the world.

Reggie began his career at McDonald’s in November 2020. He joined McDonald’s from VF Corporation, where he served as Vice President, Global Inclusion and Diversity, building the company’s first I&D strategy and turning it into an award-winning program.

Reggie has worked in a variety of disciplines including supply chain, merchandising, international project management and multiple specialties within human resources. Prior to joining VF, he was the Director, Diversity Strategy and Support, responsible for the D&I strategy, reporting, and consultation for all Walmart stores in the U.S. and was a recruiter and D&I leader at Tyson Foods. He also was an instructor and faculty administrator for the University of Phoenix for several years.

A US Army Veteran, he served as a Supply Sergeant with deployments to Afghanistan and Uzbekistan. In addition, he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Education - HR Development and a Master of Science in Education - Workforce Development from the University of Arkansas. He also received an MBA from Webster University.

Reggie serves on the Executive Advisory Committee for the College of Business and Economics at North Carolina A&T State University; and serves as the Co-President for the Board of Directors for Camber Outdoors. He is also on the Board of Directors for Paradigm for Parity; and on the Advisory Council for Diversity MBA. The National Diversity Council named Reggie to the Top 50 Chief Diversity Officer list in 2020, and to the Top 100 Chief Diversity Officer list in 2021.

Michael Gonda headshot

Michael Gonda

Senior Vice President, Chief Communications Officer 


As Chief Communications Officer at McDonald’s, Michael Gonda is responsible for driving integrated communications strategies that focus on protecting and advancing the reputation of the company globally.  

Gonda leads a team across corporate and U.S. communications, media relations, crisis communications and brand communications. Ensuring a consistent brand voice is core to his role, working to advance McDonald’s business strategy, communicate the company’s purpose and drive greater trust amongst stakeholders.

Throughout his tenure, Gonda has built and strengthened leadership platforms for the McDonald’s executive team. Through signature campaigns, he’s helped advance executive-sponsored programming in the areas that matter most to McDonald’s stakeholders, bringing to life the company’s values and commitment to communities.  

Prior to joining McDonald’s, Gonda served as Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Chobani, a leading natural food company, where he served as a member of its executive leadership team responsible for strategic communications initiatives, public affairs, government relations, sustainability and the company’s philanthropic efforts.

He previously served as Vice President of Weber Shandwick, a leading global public relations firm, where he supported some of the world’s largest brands with issues management and corporate communications.

Michael began his career as a reporter. He earned a bachelor’s degree with honors from Brown University and lives in Chicago, IL, with his wife, son and daughter.

Amy Kovalan headshot

Amy Kovalan

Vice President, Chief Compliance Officer


Amy joined McDonald’s Corporation in 2011 where she leads McDonald’s compliance strategy globally and is responsible for administering McDonald’s compliance program, including anti-corruption initiatives, stakeholder engagement, due diligence and compliance investigations. Amy’s remit also includes enterprise risk management and safety governance.

Amy has eighteen years combined experience in compliance and safety, having previously launched compliance programs at the City of Chicago and DePaul University and served as the Chief Safety and Security Officer for the Chicago Transit Authority.

Amy’s educational background includes a BA in Government and International Studies from the University of Notre Dame, a law degree from The John Marshall Law School, and an Executive MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School. In addition, Amy is licensed to practice law in Illinois.

Jill McDonald Headshot

    

Jenny McColloch

Vice President, Chief Sustainability Officer


As part of McDonald’s Global Impact leadership, Jenny McColloch leads the Global Sustainability & ESG team that is charged with designing and managing strategies and partnerships to drive positive impact and purposeful, resilient growth for the McDonald’s brand. 

Partnering with stakeholders across the business and beyond, Jenny’s team serves as stewards of McDonald’s global ESG commitments, which leverage the brand’s scale and presence in over 39,000 local communities worldwide to foster meaningful change at scale, while addressing some of the most pressing social and environmental challenges facing the world and the company today. Her oversight includes strategies and cross-functional programs relating to food and planet impacts - climate action, nature-based solutions, nutrition, restaurant sustainability, packaging and circularity; and community and people impacts - human rights, corporate philanthropy, youth opportunity and volunteerism. Her team also coordinates McDonald’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) engagement and reporting.

Since joining McDonald’s in 2012, Jenny has held a variety of roles related to restaurant and supply chain sustainability strategy and business integration.  Previously, she worked at Nestlé Waters North America and served as Education Director for Salish Sea Expeditions. 

Jenny earned her BS/MS in Earth Systems from Stanford University and her MBA from the Yale School of Management. She currently serves on GreenBiz Group’s GreenFin Advisory Board and the First Movers Advisory Board for the Aspen Institute’s Business & Society Program. 

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