McDonald’s Corp. said its longtime chief public-relations executive, Jack Daly, died Saturday at the age of 62.
Daly, who spent nearly 20 years with the Oak Brook, Ill.-based quick-service chain, oversaw global public relations. He died of cancer Saturday at his home in Hinsdale, Ill.
“Simply put, Jack’s input on our brand and our business has been immeasurable,” chief executive Jim Skinner said in a statement. “Through the depth of his thinking and strength of his insights, Jack helped guide McDonald’s through some of our greatest successes and most difficult challenges.”
Daly joined McDonald’s in 1992 as vice president of communications. His appointment to senior vice president of communications in 2002 fell between the release of the book “Fast Food Nation” and the movie “Super Size Me,” which were both critical of the company.
Earlier in his career, Daly had served as a PR executive at GolinHarris Communications in Chicago and at his own PR firm, J. Daly & Associates. He also was a sports reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer and was press secretary for Ohio Gov. Jim Rhodes in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
Daly is survived by his wife and three sons.
Contact Mark Brandau at [email protected].