Staffing

McDonald's promotes Skye Anderson to president

Photo: McDonald's

August 4, 2026

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McDonald's Corp. has named Skye Anderson, a 26-year company veteran, as its next president, according to a press release.

Anderson succeeds Joe Erlinger, who is leaving the company after more than two decades, including nearly seven years leading the U.S. business. Erlinger will serve as an advisor until early 2027 to ensure a seamless leadership transition.

In her role, Anderson will oversee nearly 14,000 restaurants across the U.S. She recently returned to McDonald's USA as chief operating officer as part of a transition plan to prepare her to lead the company's largest market. Her previous experience includes finance leadership in Australia and heading the U.S. West Zone, where she helped modernize more than 5,700 restaurants.

"Skye combines deep operational discipline with strong financial judgment and has earned the trust of owner/operators, suppliers and employees," Chris Kempczinski, chairman and chief executive officer of McDonald's Corp., said in the release. "I've had the opportunity to work closely with Skye throughout much of her career, and I've repeatedly turned to her to lead some of our most important businesses and transformation efforts because she's a proven change agent who can act with urgency to mobilize our System."

"As we bring McDonald's > NEXT to life, the U.S. business has a critical role to play in translating our ambition into action for customers, crew and Owner/Operators. Having led the U.S. business myself, I understand the opportunities and challenges ahead. Skye knows that great strategies only matter if they create better outcomes in restaurants. I look forward to working closely with her and the U.S. leadership team to help accelerate performance and unlock the significant opportunity in front of us, and I have tremendous confidence that she is the ideal leader for this next phase of our U.S. business," Kempczinski said in the release.

Anderson's appointment reflects the company's focus on improving the everyday restaurant experience, strengthening value offerings and driving long-term profitable growth.

"McDonald's has always been at its best when we harness the strength of our unique system to serve customers and communities," Anderson said in the release. "I am honored to lead the U.S. business and build on the strong foundation already in place. Together with our owner/operators, suppliers and employees, we'll remain focused on serving great food, delivering exceptional experiences, earning the right to be our customers' first choice and bringing McDonald's > NEXT to life across our restaurants every day."

Regarding Erlinger's departure, Kempczinski noted his work in guiding the business through periods of significant change.

"Joe has made a tremendous impact on McDonald's throughout his more than 20-year career," Kempczinski said. "As president of McDonald's USA, he helped guide the business through a period of significant change while strengthening our digital capabilities, franchise system and operational foundation. Joe leaves an indelible mark on our culture and business, and we are grateful for his leadership and contributions."

McDonald's has over 45,000 locations in over 100 countries.