Tue 24th Aug 2021 - Paul Pomroy promoted to run 12 McDonald’s markets, Alistair Macrow to become UK & Ireland CEO Paul Pomroy promoted to run 12 McDonald’s markets, Alistair Macrow to become UK & Ireland CEO: McDonald’s has promoted Paul Pomroy to run 12 markets with Alistair Macrow becoming chief executive for the UK and Ireland. It follows the appointment of Manu Steijaert to the newly created role of chief customer officer to drive its digital strategy. McDonald’s stated: “Our most valuable asset at McDonald’s is our people. We take great pride in our ability to use our scale and global presence to create life-long career opportunities that serve to strengthen our McFamily. From promoting top talent from within to recruiting experienced new leaders, our focus will remain on building out the best talent pipeline in the business, so that we can continue ‘Accelerating the Arches’ in an increasingly competitive market environment. Equally important is pushing our brand forward while we keep the customer at the centre of everything we do. This facilitated the creation of Manu’s new team but has also encouraged us to consider leaders with deep brand experience for leadership roles. In this spirit and following Manu’s appointment as chief customer officer, we’re pleased to share key leadership appointments across our organisation. Paul Pomroy will transition from chief executive for the United Kingdom & Ireland into the role of corporate senior vice-president, international operated markets. In this role, Paul will oversee the 12 markets in our international operated markets business unit. Paul has been a key member of the McDonald’s team for 25 years and, in that time, has held a variety of leadership roles. In his most recent position, he has led the UK and Ireland business through a period of strong and sustainable growth, delivering successful customer-led plans that have seen sales increase by more than 70% in the past seven years, and the market recognised as a system leader in brand trust. Paul is a strong advocate of listening to our customers and our people. His passion for inclusion, teamwork and talent development has elevated our employee value proposition through investment in pay, training and access to wider career opportunities. Paul has championed investment and innovation in restaurant design, food quality and operational excellence through long-standing supplier partnerships and strong franchisee relationships. Paul has always taken a proactive approach to telling our story to drive system pride and increase customer understanding of our business. His constant focus on integrity and transparency has built trust from our supply chain to our restaurants, and has been critical to the market’s business and brand success. Alistair Macrow will transition from global chief marketing officer to assume the position of chief executive of the United Kingdom and Ireland business. Alistair has deep experience in the UK market, having previously held executive leadership roles in the UK and international markets, including chief marketing officer and corporate vice-president, international operated markets, where he directed marketing strategy for McDonald’s international division. In his corporate and market roles, Alistair worked closely with owner operators and suppliers to achieve shared success, collaborating effectively at all levels. Alistair joined McDonald’s in 2007 after 15 years in marketing and business leadership roles with UK and international retailers. Over the past year, Alistair has focused on inspiring and enabling a world-class marketing community to build the brand and create growth, building out the marketing pillar of our ‘Accelerating the Arches’ strategy. Alistair has been recognised with some of the industry’s highest accolades, including recognition as The Marketing Society’s Marketing Leader of the Year in 2016. Alistair’s broad experience and exceptional understanding of our customers and business will enable him to have a tremendous impact leading one of our largest markets. Alistair is passionate about enabling people to realise their full potential, strengthening our brand and business by creating a culture where diverse thought and experience are highly valued. Morgan Flatley will transition from chief marketing and digital customer experience officer for McDonald’s USA to become global chief marketing officer. In her new role, Morgan will oversee global brand, menu strategy, family marketing, media partnerships and customer and business insights. Known for her strategic vision and acumen for building iconic brands, Morgan has played an integral role in advancing McDonald’s customer growth strategies since she joined the company in 2017. Morgan built the capabilities and processes to put digital, data and insights at the heart of our extraordinarily successful marketing programmes in the US, including our ‘Fan Truths’ strategy and record-breaking ‘Famous Orders’ collaborations. In December, McDonald’s USA was recognised as AdAge’s number two marketer of the year under Morgan’s leadership. Her relationship-oriented approach has been critical in building high-performing teams and strengthening partnerships internally and externally with franchisees, suppliers and agencies. We are excited for Morgan, Paul and Alistair to begin these new roles on 1 November. In the meantime, Morgan, Paul and Alistair will support the transition of their teams in their current roles. [USA president] Joe Erlinger will share an update on Morgan’s successor shortly.”