McDonald's CAO Pete Bensen retiring as company seeks to evolve

McDonald's says Chief Administrative Officer Pete Bensen is retiring after 20 years with the company, marking yet another change for the world's biggest burger maker as it seeks to transform its business.

The Oak Brook-based company said Bensen's last day will be Sept. 2 and it will announce additional changes resulting from his retirement soon. Bensen formerly served as chief financial officer.

McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook, who took over in March of last year, thanked Bensen for being a “influential contributor to our brand's success.”

Easterbrook has said he plans to transform McDonald's into a “modern, progressive burger company” after it failed to keep pace with changing tastes. His moves so far have included reorganizing the corporate structure so it can move on decisions more quickly. The company is also tweaking recipes for its menu items in its flagship U.S. market to remove ingredients it says customers don't want, and adding kale and spinach to its salads.

In April, McDonald's Corp. also announced the retirement of longtime board member and chair Andrew McKenna.