McDonald's promotes Don Thompson to president

OAK BROOK Ill. McDonald’s Corp. has named Don Thompson president and chief operating officer, replacing Ralph Alvarez, who retired at the end of 2009 for health reasons. Thompson most recently had been president of McDonald’s USA.

Thompson began his career with McDonald’s in 1990 as an engineer in the Restaurant Systems Group, and he worked his way up the corporate ladder as a regional manager and regional vice president before being named president of McDonald’s USA