Five Things to Know About McDonald’s Chief Customer Officer Manu Steijaert

July 26, 2021


Manu Steijaert has been promoted to McDonald’s first-ever Chief Customer Officer.

Here’s what you should know about Manu and what he’ll bring to the role!

1. He knows the Brand at every level. As the son of a former Belgian McDonald’s Owner Operator, Manu’s first restaurant experience dates back to 1987, when he started working as a crewmember at his parents’ restaurants. At that time, the McDonald’s Brand was at the start of its international growth. He began his career at McDonald’s Corporation in 2001 and has studied the evolving needs of global customers throughout his career.

2. He believes the value of inclusion leads to a more inspiring, collaborative workplace. Throughout Manu’s career with the brand, he has managed operations in Belgium, the Netherlands and France as well as overseeing 12 European markets. Manu’s experience working in a variety of markets with people from different backgrounds has inspired him to lead his own teams with an inclusive, people-focused mindset, always ensuring a diverse set of experiences and thinking are represented. He believes this is an important part of fostering a collaborative culture and bringing the best ideas to the table.

3. Drawing on his creative background, he is a firm believer that when art and science come together, it creates magical experiences for our customers. Prior to starting his McDonald’s career in 2001, Manu studied Art and Design and managed his own graphic design company. A life-long student with innate curiosity, Manu continues to be passionate about the intersection of creativity and science and the ways it can inspire new experiences. An example of this in action: Our global Experience of the Future program originated from work that Manu and his team helped create! Combining new technologies, restaurant design and operational excellence was an important step in the ongoing transformation of the McDonald’s experience. The creation of the new Customer Experience Team will accelerate this transformation process even further.

4. He has a passion for talent development. Manu is a firm believer in the importance of continuous development and giving people the opportunity – and support - to expand their horizons and try new things. He has always empowered his teams to make their own decisions, which he says results in better quality work and leaves team members feeling more fulfilled. He believes that talent development should be a win-win situation where the opportunity to develop capabilities and have new experiences benefits the employee while building value for the company.

5. He’s excited to take on this new role because he loves “wowing” customers. With an intense focus on customer-centric innovation, Manu is looking forward to working with his team to strengthen McDonald’s ability to anticipate and deliver on customers’ needs. With this new team’s focus on the end-to-end customer journey, he believes that we can bring a unique Brand experience to every touchpoint. Leveraging insights from restaurant operations, technology and local market leadership will enable us to scale best practices across the globe.

 

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