This is a day I truly look forward to each year. It gives us a chance to reflect, celebrate, and say thank you for what you helped deliver over the past year.

2025 asked a lot from our teams. It required focus and discipline, along with a continued commitment to what matters most: our people, our customers, and our brand. Through the work you did each day, you helped strengthen our foundation and advance key priorities, building real momentum for the business. The work you delivered and its impact across our System allowed us to enter 2026 stronger and ready for what’s next.

Celebrating Our Winners

Employee Appreciation Day is also an opportunity to celebrate those whose work stood out among an already exceptional group. Please join me in congratulating the winners of our 2025 global staff award programs. These individuals and teams represent the very best of McDonald’s. They delivered results, raised the bar for what’s possible, and brought our Values to life through their work.

Our Presidents’ Award celebrates the top 1% of our staff employees globally. Our 2025 award celebrates 131 high-achieving individuals from across 43 markets around the world who embody our values.

Our Circle of Excellence Award recognizes 12 cross-functional teams that represent how we truly are better, together. These teams embodied an enterprise mindset to deliver significant results and continuously raise the bar through their innovative and scalable work, helping us move faster and smarter as an organization.

Our Shining Light Award offers everyone the opportunity to appreciate those individuals who are living our values each day, and our 2025 award recognizes 224 individuals from 60 markets. We received over 2,400 nominations for this award, and I want to take this opportunity to extend a huge thank you to everyone who took the time to recognize their colleagues.  

On behalf of the Senior Leadership Team, congratulations to all our award winners. To every colleague across the world, thank you for your commitment, resilience, and carefor one another. We are grateful for the role you play in shaping McDonald’s future.

Tiffanie Boyd

EVP, Global Chief People Officer