CHICAGO – McDonald’s Corp. announced the promotion of Alistair Macrow to senior vice president, chief marketing officer, in charge of Global Menu Strategy, Global Brand, Global Insights, Family, and Global Marketing Enablement at the company.

Macrow, assumes these responsibilities from Colin Mitchell, senior vice president, Global Marketing. Mitchell is leaving the company “... in search of a new challenge,” said Chris Kempczinski, president and chief executive officer of McDonald’s.

“Many in the System — and particularly those in our European and Asian markets — will know Alistair,” Kempczinski said. “He has a reputation for setting bold visions and driving meaningful results. In his nearly 15 years with McDonald’s, Alistair has repeatedly tapped into his intimate knowledge of the customer to make holistic brand visions tangible — first in the UK and most recently as chief marketing officer for our Internationally Operated Markets. Colin and Alistair will work together to ensure a smooth transition, and Alistair will work with Ian Borden to identify his successor.”

Macrow also will work to strengthen the company’s marketing training programs and career planning process to develop the next generation of CMOs for McDonald’s.

Working in partnership with Macrow will be Morgan Flatley, senior vice president and US Chief Marketing and Digital Customer Experience Officer. Flatley oversees field marketing, digital, media, customer relationship management (CRM), brand content and engagement, consumer insights and strategy, and menu for the US market.

“Morgan has significantly strengthened our strategic marketing capabilities in the US and globally and built strong relationships with our agency and owner-operator partners,” Kempczinski said.

“As we emerge from this global pandemic, consumers’ trust in the McDonald’s brand and compelling marketing programs in every country where we operate will be critical to re-establish the strong business momentum we enjoyed leading into this crisis, I’m confident Alistair and Morgan can lead McDonald’s to even greater heights following this crisis. More importantly, both personify the values of inclusivity and innovation that define McDonald’s, and that I expect from our senior leaders.”