McDonald’s Corp. this week named Morgan Flatley the company’s U.S. chief marketing officer as the Oak Brook, Ill.-based burger giant continues to shake up its management.
In addition, the quick-service company named Farhan Siddiqi as head of U.S. digital, and Linda VanGosen as its new head of U.S. menu. All three will start their new jobs later this month.
Flatley replaces Deborah Wahl, who had been the U.S. CMO for the past three years. VanGosen replaces Lance Richards and Siddiqi replaces Julia Vander Ploeg.
“This is an exciting time for McDonald’s as we continue to raise the bar on how we prepare and source our food, offer our customers more modern experiences and redefine convenience through new initiatives like delivery and mobile order and pay,” McDonald’s U.S. president, Chris Kempczinski, said in a statement.
All three positions are important to a company working to overhaul its image, its menu and its digital focus in a bid to win back customers lost since 2012. The company has estimated it has lost 500 million transactions over that time.
Flatley comes to McDonald’s from Pepsico, where she was chief marketing officer of Global Nutrition. She has served in various roles with that company, including CMO of Gatorade, helping oversee multi-year growth at the brand.
Flatley will report to Kempczinski and will lead integrated marketing plans for McDonald’s U.S. business while strengthening partnerships with franchisees and suppliers. And she will influence the approach of McDonald’s new agency, We Are Unlimited.
Siddiqi came to McDonald’s in 2016, starting as vice president of global digital experience at McDonald’s, overseeing various digital functions. He will be responsible for delivering and managing digital solutions for the U.S. that increase customer engagement and drive sales. Before joining McDonald’s, he held positions at Bank of America, Target and GE.
VanGosen most recently was vice president at Starbucks, where she was responsible for the overall vision and strategic growth plans for Starbucks Evenings. She had previously worked with TGI Friday’s and Chili’s Grill & Bar.
Kempczinski said that the three departed executives “each made significant contributions to McDonald’s and have positioned the company well for this next phase of our efforts to become a more modern and progressive burger company.”
Kempczinski himself was named president of McDonald’s domestic business only last year, and the company has replaced numerous executives in the two years under CEO Steve Easterbrook.
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