Don Thompson, president of McDonald's USA, has been named the company's president and chief operating officer. He moves into the role vacated by Ralph Alvarez, who retired in December because of knee problems.
Jim Skinner, McDonald's Corp. CEO, announced that Thompson will have oversight responsibility for the company's 32,000 restaurants worldwide.
McDonald's board of directors elected Thompson to the new position and voted on two other promotions. Jan Fields, currently executive vice president and chief operations officer for McDonald's USA, will succeed Thompson as president of McDonald's USA, and Jim Johannesen, currently U.S. Division president—Central Division, to succeed Fields as EVP and chief operations officer for McDonald's USA.
All three will assume their new duties immediately.
Thompson's promotion ends a month of speculation over the company's next heir apparent after Alvarez's unexpected retirement. The company's deep bench of talented and experienced executives assures its succession planning, Skinner said.
"Seamless management change is a by-product of McDonald's commitment to leadership development and talent management," Skinner said. "Together with our board of directors, we have made succession planning a competitive advantage for our company worldwide."
Having a deep bench makes sense after the company lost two CEOs within a year before Skinner, 65, was named CEO in late 2004. He took over when then-CEO Charles Bell retired to fight cancer. Bell, who died a few months later, had succeeded James Cantalupo, who had died earlier that year from a heart attack.
Skinner said in his announcement of the promotion that Thompson has done an outstanding job leading the company's U.S. business. His experience, including his collaborative work with McDonald's Area of the World leadership teams to share strategic solutions and execute the company's Plan to Win initiative, will enable a seemless transition.
Thompson, 46, began his McDonald's career in 1990 as an engineer in the Restaurant Systems Group. He moved into restaurant operations four years later and rose quickly through the operations ranks. He was named regional manager of the San Diego region in 1998 and was promoted to regional vice president a year later. In 2000 he was named president of the Midwest Division of McDonald's USA and in 2001 was appointed president of the company's West Division. In 2004, he returned to company headquarters as EVP of McDonald's Restaurant Systems Group. A year later he was promoted to EVP and chief operations officer for McDonald's USA and in 2006 was named president of McDonald's USA.
Fields, 54, began her McDonald's career as a crewmember for a McDonald's owner-operator and joined McDonald's Corp. in 1978 as a restaurant manager trainee. She moved through McDonald's operations career path from area supervisor to corporate responsbilities, including being named U.S. Division president for the Central Division in 2003. She was named to her current role as EVP and chief operations officer, McDonald's USA, in 2006.
Johannesen, 55, joined McDonald's in 1979 as an attorney in the corporate legal department. In 1986, he moved into McDonald's business affairs and later into restaurant development before moving into restaurant operations. In 2006, he was promoted to his current role as president of the Central Division.
