Kathy Baird, SVP, Chief Impact Officer for McDonald’s USA, effective September 30. In this role, Kathy will lead our U.S. Impact strategy, overseeing teams responsible for enhancing and protecting the McDonald’s brand across state and local government relations, brand and business communications and sustainability—with the sustainability team continuing to dual report into Supply Chain. She'll serve on both the U.S. Senior Leadership Team and the Global Impact Leadership Team, reporting to Joe Erlinger and me.  

Kathy brings more than 25 years of experience across Fortune 500 companies, government, nonprofits, media, and leading agencies. Most recently, as Chief Communications Officer at The Washington Post, Kathy modernized the communications function and led initiatives advancing community engagement. She oversaw brand marketing, live journalism, and talent development—representing the Post across major cultural and political moments, from Davos to the Pulitzer Prize. Her leadership amplified the brand across platforms and strengthened both media relationships and employee engagement.  

Prior to this, Kathy led global purpose communications at Nike, spearheading civic engagement campaigns, elevating diverse voices, and launching innovative employee storytelling platforms. Across her career, Kathy’s approach to leadership is rooted in advocacy, strategic storytelling, cultural fluency, and a deep commitment to empowerment—qualities that make her the right leader to guide McDonald’s U.S. Impact efforts forward. 

This appointment will strengthen alignment between the Impact function and our company’s segment structure. The Canada Impact team will now report to David Coleman, Vice President, IOM Impact, while the market continues to benefit from guidance by the global teams.  

Anne Hammer, VP, Global Chief Communications Officer, effective October 14. In this role, Anne will lead McDonald’s global communications strategy—focused on elevating and protecting the brand and driving growth for the business through compelling, impactful storytelling. Her leadership will be instrumental in advancing our Communications Center of Excellence, supporting our markets and ensuring McDonald’s continues to amplify its position on the world stage. Anne will serve on the Global Impact Leadership Team and report to me.

Anne joins us from Manulife, where she served as Global Chief Communications Officer on the Global Leadership Team. There, she shaped enterprise-wide narratives to support strategic transformation and cultural change, while driving creative storytelling and a forward-looking vision for the function. She also previously served as John Hancock’s Chief Communications Officer and the Global Head of Public Relations at State Street. At both companies, she helped modernize brands and culture through globally recognized campaigns that became symbols of industry and cultural change, earning top honors at Cannes, the Clios, and PRWeek. 

In conversation with Anne, it was clear that she is a culture champion with a remarkable ability to simplify complexity, inspire action, and foster environments where people feel empowered to grow. Her pragmatic leadership style combined with a passion for developing high-performing teams will be a powerful asset as she helps shape the future of communications at McDonald’s.

Please join me in welcoming Kathy and Anne to the McFamily. I look forward to all we will unlock together as we advance our advocacy and storytelling priorities, and better leverage data and new technologies to continually strengthen our incredible brand.