Alistair Macrow to step down as CEO of McDonald’s UK: Alistair Macrow, who has been with McDonald’s for 18 years, will step down as chief executive of its UK and Ireland business next month, after four years in the role. The Times reports that Macrow will leave at the end of September after a period of transition with his successor Lauren Schultz, who joins from the US side of the McDonald’s business, where she has been in charge of 1,200 restaurants and 180 franchisees. Schultz has been with the fast-food brand for the past 11 years, including most recently spending two years as a field president. McDonald’s currently operates 1,450 restaurants in Britain and Ireland and employs more than 135,000 people. Macrow was promoted from global chief marketing officer to chief executive of McDonald’s UK and Ireland business in August 2021. He 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, the business said that Macrow worked closely with owner operators and suppliers to achieve shared success, collaborating effectively at all levels. Earlier this month, McDonald’s global chief executive Chris Kempczinski said the company was introducing initiatives to improve its UK performance but recognised it will take time. Kempczinski was speaking to investors after McDonald’s reported global like-for-like sales increased 3.8% in the second quarter of its financial year, with the UK seeing growth. Like-for-like sales in the quarter for the “international operated” segment, which includes the UK, increased 4.0%, as all its markets reflected positive comparable sales. Kempczinski said: “In early April, we introduced the Big Arch. It was our top selling large burger in France following its launch, and that trend continued after the media campaign ended. We followed the Big Arch’s rollout in France by launching it in the UK in mid-June. Early results are meeting our expectations, fuelled by a positive response to the marketing campaign and social media buzz, and we’re looking to build on Big Arch’s success as we continue efforts to improve the UK’s overall performance. While we recognise that restoring sustained positive performance in the UK will take time, as we’ve demonstrated most recently in France and Australia, we have a solid track record of identifying areas of improvement and executing turnaround plans that deliver results. In addition to launching Big Arch in France and the UK, we’re working to unlock growth in beef by continuing to implement Best Burger across the globe. Today, it’s currently in more than 80 markets, and we expect it will be in nearly all markets by 2026. Chicken also remains a significant opportunity.” Earlier this year, Macrow said 29 people had been dismissed by the business over sexual harassment allegations over the past 12 months. He also told MPs that the alleged cases published by the BBC were “abhorrent, unacceptable, and there is no place for them in McDonald’s”. It came after workers at the fast-food chain told the BBC they are still facing sexual abuse and harassment, a year after Macrow promised to clean up behaviour at the restaurants.