News

McDonald's Europe boss leaves for pizza concept

August 16, 2011

In a perhaps surprising move, Steve Easterbrook, president of McDonald's Europe, has submitted his resignation. He will serve out his role through Sept. 30 before assuming the CEO position at PizzaExpress, a United Kingdom-based chain owned by privately-held Gondola Group.

Easterbrook has been with McDonald's for 18 years, serving as the European head for less than a year after running the U.K. operations.

"It's been a real privilege to lead McDonald's in Europe and in the U.K. prior to that," said Easterbrook. "In this time we have made many changes to our business that are clearly appreciated by our customers and staff. I leave knowing that this work will continue and I wish my colleagues every success."

According to the Mirror, Easterbrook, 44, was considered a candidate to lead the QSR giant whenever CEO Jim Skinner, 67, retires.

"On behalf of everyone at the Golden Arches, I would like to thank Steve for his 18 years of service," said Skinner. "We will miss his passion for the brand, and we wish him well as he pursues this new opportunity."

Gondola Group includes 600 restaurants under the PizzaExpress, Zizzi, Ask and Kettner's brands.

The board of directors has elected Doug Goare, current executive vice president of McDonald's Global Supply Chain and Real Estate Development, as president of McDonald's Europe, effective Oct. 1.

Goare, 59, will oversee operations of more than 7,000 McDonald's restaurants in 40 European countries. A 33-year veteran of McDonald's, Goare will relocate to Geneva, Switzerland, headquarters for McDonald's Europe. He will continue to report to Don Thompson, McDonald's president and chief operating officer.

The board also elected Jose Armario, current group president of McDonald's Canada and Latin America, to succeed Goare as EVP of Global Supply Chain, Real Estate Development and Franchising. Armario, 52, will be responsible for McDonald's $23 billion procurement of food, packaging and premiums, worldwide purchasing and supplier relationships, and food safety and quality systems strategy.

Armario will also lead the company's efforts in developing locations for McDonald's restaurants around the world. He remains responsible for overseeing all international franchising. Armario will continue to report to Thompson.

"We have a deep bench of talent with individuals who are ready to step into these important leadership roles," said Skinner. "Doug's and Jose's appointments reflect our solid succession planning process and the global alignment around McDonald's business strategy, the Plan to Win."

In McDonald's most recent earnings report, Europe's comparables were up 5.9 percent driven by signature offerings, new products, a growing breakfast daypart and a continued emphasis on modernizing the restaurant experience. Europe leads the McDonald's system in modernization efforts, Thompson said, and contactless payment and self-service kiosks have simplified customer experiences.

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