OAK BROOK, Ill. – McDonald’s Corp. is staying the course with its turnaround strategy, and the company’s board of directors appointed two new positions to help drive the plan forward. 

David Fairhurst, corporate executive vice president, chief people officer
David Fairhurst, corporate executive vice president, chief people officer

David Fairhurst was named corporate executive vice president, chief people officer effective Oct. 1. In this newly expanded role, Fairhurst will oversee global human resources with additional responsibility for global training. He will report to CEO Steve Easterbrook. Fairhurst succeeds Rich Floersch, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, who will retire effective Dec. 31.

Fairhurst joined McDonald’s UK in 2005 as vice president of people. He was promoted to chief people officer of northern Europe in 2007. In 2011, he served as chief people officer of Europe. Earlier this year, he was named corporate senior vice president, international human resources and strategy, with responsibility for global design and systems.

“David will build on the substantive work that Rich led in making talent development a priority at McDonald’s,” Easterbrook said. “As we thank Rich for his contributions, we’re confident that David is the leader we need to continue supporting the business turnaround and driving our global people strategy.” 

Chris Kempczinski, corporate executive vice president of strategy, business development and innovation
Chris Kempczinski, corporate executive vice president of strategy, business development and innovation

Additionally, Chris Kempczinski has been appointed corporate executive vice president of strategy, business development and innovation effective Oct. 26. Kempczinski will oversee all aspects of strategy development, planning, innovation and new concepts to drive growth at McDonald’s.

“At this crucial time in our business, Chris brings an unparalleled level of strategic expertise coupled with a fresh perspective to our management team,” Easterbrook said. “Chris is a proven global leader with a solid track record of success and will play an instrumental role moving our brand forward.”

Before joining McDonald’s, Kempczinski was executive vice president of growth initiatives and president of international at the former Kraft Foods Group, where he was responsible for Kraft's international business. Kempczinski also had a successful eight-year career at PepsiCo and worked for both The Boston Consulting Group advising Fortune 100 companies and as a brand manager at Procter & Gamble before joining Kraft.