Skye Anderson, president of McDonald’s USA
Source: McDonald’s
McDonald’s announced that company veteran Skye Anderson will lead its U.S. business, effective Tuesday, as the company tries to win over cost-conscious diners in its largest market.
“I look forward to working closely with her and the U.S. leadership team to help accelerate performance and unlock the significant opportunity in front of us, and I have tremendous confidence that she is the ideal leader for this next phase of our U.S. business,” McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski said in a statement.
Earlier this year, Anderson was named chief operating officer for McDonald’s USA. Prior to that, she led the company’s Global Business Services segment, which was created with the aim of making its corporate operations more efficient and using the restaurant giant’s scale. She also spent four years in charge of McDonald’s U.S. West Zone; in that role, she increased average restaurant unit cash flow by $100,000 and drove same-store sales growth of more than 30%, according to the company.
Anderson has been with the company for 26 years.
“I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Skye throughout much of her career, and I’ve repeatedly turned to her to lead some of our most important businesses and transformation efforts because she’s a proven change agent who can act with urgency to mobilize our System,” Kempczinski said.
Anderson succeeds Joe Erlinger, who has held the role for more than six years. Erlinger will stay on as an advisor through early 2027.
McDonald’s also reported its second-quarter results on Tuesday. The company’s earnings topped Wall Street’s estimates, but its revenue fell short of analysts’ expectations. U.S. same-store sales grew just 0.8%, and traffic to its domestic restaurants fell during the quarter.
Broadly, McDonald’s has outperformed U.S. rivals by leaning into value meals and buzzy promotions to attract diners. But a successful marketing move — like its tie-in meal with the “Minecraft” movie during the year-ago period — means that the burger chain has to keep surpassing its own wins to grow same-store sales.
In early June, the company unveiled a new growth strategy as it aims to become diners’ first option. The plan includes menu innovation that elevates taste and quality, listening to how consumers interact with brands and a new restaurant design.
