McDonald’s USA Announces New Members of Senior Leadership Team

Company Adds New CMO, Heads of Digital and Menu in the U.S.

McDonald’s USA announces the appointment of three new senior leaders: Morgan Flatley as U.S. Chief Marketing Officer; Farhan Siddiqi as Head of U.S. Digital; and Linda VanGosen as new Head of U.S. Menu. All will begin their new roles this month.
 
“This is an exciting time for McDonald’s as we continue to raise the bar on how we prepare and source our food, offer our customers more modern experiences and redefine convenience through new initiatives like delivery and mobile ordering and pay,” U.S President Chris Kempczinski said. “I am confident these new team members will help McDonald’s only accelerate the already great progress we have made in the U.S.”
 
Flatley comes to McDonald’s from Pepsico where she was CMO of Global Nutrition. She has served in various roles at Pepsico, including CMO of Gatorade during which time she developed a customer-obsessed business strategy.  During her tenure, Gatorade saw a return to multi-year growth. She has been recognized for creative consumer engagement that drove the business while changing perceptions and has received awards across the industry including Adweek’s highest honor, the Grand Brand Genius award in 2015 and Ad Age’s 2014 Women to Watch. Reporting to Kempczinski, she will lead integrated marketing plans to drive growth for McDonald’s U.S. business while expanding and strengthening partnerships with franchisees and suppliers. In addition, she will further influence the creative and bold approach of McDonald’s new agency, We Are Unlimited, to connect with customers in innovative ways.
 
Siddiqi has served as Vice President of Global Digital Experience at McDonald’s overseeing digital functions including global product strategy, design, innovation and business development. In his new role, he will also be responsible for delivering and managing digital solutions for the U.S. that increase customer engagement and drive sales through digital channels. Prior to joining McDonalds in 2016, he held a number of executive positions at Bank of America, Target, and GE.
 
VanGosen most recently served as Vice President at Starbucks where she was responsible for the overall vision and strategic growth plans for Starbucks Evenings. Previously she served as Vice President of Brand Strategy, Insights and Menu Innovation at TGI Friday’s and was Vice President of Product Innovation at Chili’s Grill & Bar. 
 
“As we welcome these new members to the McDonald’s USA Senior Leadership Team, we also want to thank our departing team members, including: Deborah Wahl (CMO), Lance Richards (Menu) and Julia Vander Ploeg (Digital).  They’ve each made significant contributions to McDonald’s and have positioned the company well for this next phase of our efforts to become a more modern and progressive burger company,” Kempczinski said.

ABOUT McDONALD'S
McDonald's is the world's leading global foodservice retailer with over 36,000 locations in over 100 countries. Approximately 85% of McDonald's restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent local business men and women.