Easterbrook to lead McDonald's Europe

The Oakbrook-based McDonald's Corp. board of directors today elected Steve Easterbrook, currently McDonald's executive vice president and global chief brand officer, as president of McDonald's Europe effective Dec. 1.

Easterbrook, previously CEO of McDonald's United Kingdom and president of Europe's Northern Division, succeeds Denis Hennequin, who will resign on Nov. 30 to become CEO of Accor Hotels Group.

Easterbrook, 43, will oversee operations of more than 6,800 McDonald's restaurants in 39 European countries. In his new role he will report to McDonald's President and Chief Operating Officer Don Thompson.

“Steve's keen knowledge of our business in Europe and his consumer-driven approach to building our brand make him the ideal choice to lead McDonald's Europe,” Thompson said in a statement. “We are confident that his strong commitment to our customers and to our employees will fuel continued success in Europe.”

Easterbrook's return to Europe reflects McDonald's solid succession planning process and the global alignment around the Plan to Win McDonald's business strategy.

“The strong performance of McDonald's Europe is a key component to our overall success, and Steve's track record shows that he'll do an excellent job leading the business,” said Jim Skinner, McDonald's Chief Executive Officer.

Easterbrook is a 16-year McDonald's veteran with experience in finance, operations, and supply chain. He took over as CEO of the U.K. in April 2006, and added responsibility for Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Norway, and Ireland in January 2007.

Skinner added, “We have a deep bench of talent at McDonald's, and we will name a successor for the Global Chief Brand Officer position in the near future.”