McDonald’s names Tim Fenton chief operating officerMcDonald’s names Tim Fenton chief operating officer

Ron Ruggless

McDonald’s Corp. has named company veteran Tim Fenton chief operating officer of the 33,500-unit quick-service chain, the company said Monday.

Fenton, 54, has been with McDonald’s for 39 years, and is currently president of McDonald's Asia, Pacific, Middle East and Africa region. He succeeds Don Thompson, who in March was named chief executive and president, replacing Jim Skinner, who is retiring.

Fenton will assume the chief operating officer role on July 1.

“Tim is one of our most seasoned global leaders and has done a remarkable job growing our international business," Skinner said in a statement. "He has extensive experience, knowledge and passion for our brand and has been an integral part of McDonald's global success."

“Fenton is a superb operations leader who complements our strong management team as we focus on our global priorities — optimizing the menu, modernizing our customer experience, and broadening our accessibility to even more customers,” Thompson said.

Fenton, who began his career with McDonald’s in 1973 as a crew member in Utica, N.Y., said, “I'm honored to serve McDonald's in this new capacity and look forward to working closely with our leadership teams around the world to continue to elevate our brand and make our system even stronger.”

As president of McDonald's APMEA, Fenton oversees operations at more than 8,800 restaurants in 37 nations. McDonald’s has units in 119 countries.

Fenton has held a variety of leadership roles in Europe, the United States and APMEA.

Before heading the APMEA division, Fenton served as president of the East Division for McDonald's USA, as senior vice president for McDonald’s in Southeast Asia/Middle East/Africa, and as vice president and managing director of McDonald's Middle East Development Co. He also has held positions in operations and leadership in Asia, Central Europe, Poland, and the United States.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].
Follow him on Twitter: @RonRuggless