McDonald's taps new global, US CMOs in executive shuffle

Dive Brief:

McDonald's tapped company veterans and a Petco executive to fill open roles to lead marketing efforts and the chain's international markets, according to a company announcement.
Morgan Flatley, who serves as chief marketing and digital customer experience officer for the company's U.S. division, will take on the global CMO role starting Nov. 1. Petco chief marketer Tariq Hassan will be Flatley's successor for the U.S. position, effective Sept. 27. Paul Pomroy, CEO of McDonald's in the U.K. and Ireland, will lead the company's International Operated Markets while Alistair Macrow, previous global CMO, moves over to the U.K. and Ireland as CEO.
The moves are part of a series of appointments spurred by the chain's creation of a customer experience team this summer, following a strong second quarter for the QSR.

Dive Insight:

McDonald's is refashioning some of its leadership structure following the creation of a customer experience team — merging data analytics, digital customer engagement, global marketing and restaurant development — to boost diner engagement on-premise and online. The chain has continued to nurture a "pipeline of customer-focused leaders," according to CEO Chris Kempczinski, and the new executive appointments and promotions support the QSR's recent bets on addressing the changing expectations of consumers.

Morgan Flatley has been with McDonald's since 2017, and as the company's U.S. CMO, has played an integral role in advancing McDonald's customer growth strategies, per the announcement. Infusing digital, data and insights into the QSR's marketing strategy, she has overseen successful campaigns like the Famous Orders collaborations that have driven strong sales growth this year. Flatley will soon join the global senior leadership team and manage a division responsible for McDonald's growth pillars — marketing and menu — as she oversees global brand, menu strategy, family marketing, media partnerships and customer and business insights.

Meanwhile, Hassan will take over Flatley's current role as U.S. CMO. He is a marketing veteran with more than 20 years across Petco, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, HP and Omnicom. Hassan has a "proven track record of growing and developing talent at all levels within a marketing function, and we look forward to him building on the tremendous progress that Morgan made in the last several years," said McDonald's U.S. President Joe Erlinger, attributable to a message viewed by Marketing Dive.

"Marketing is critical to creating a holistic, compelling brand experience for our customers. From our Famous Orders collaborations to our global mobile app, marketing underpins every aspect of the customer experience," Erlinger said. The executive's comments suggest the appointments will build on the company's moves to address changing consumer expectations across on-premise, drive-thru and delivery.