By Joann S. Lublin and Julie Jargon 

McDonald's Corp. is conducting a search for an outsider to replace its chief strategy officer, who was let go in a recent management shuffle, according to people familiar with the matter.

This would mark the third outside hire of a top executive in recent months at a company known for promoting from within. It is another sign of Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook's efforts to breathe fresh life into the struggling burger giant.

The new strategy chief would replace Adam Kriger, who led McDonald's strategy for 14 years. Mr. Kriger apparently was among a number of employees whose jobs were recently eliminated, said Peter Crist, chairman of Crist/Kolder Associates, an executive-search firm in Downers Grove, Ill.

McDonald's didn't immediately respond to requests for comment. Mr. Kriger couldn't immediately be reached.

Looking outside the Golden Arches for talent is unusual at McDonald's, where many executives worked their way up the ranks, many of them having started out as restaurant workers. McDonald's corporate employees are known to boast of having ketchup in their veins.

But Mr. Easterbrook, who was appointed chief executive in March, has referred to himself as an "internal activist" and has had his own outside experience. In June, McDonald's tapped former Obama press secretary Robert Gibbs to be its global communications chief and Silvia Lagnado, a former marketing executive at Bacardi Ltd. and Unilever PLC, to be its global marketing chief.

"Easterbrook probably was under the strong directive to get rid of the old and get the new (blood) in there," Mr. Crist said. "This is a company that has lost its way."

The British-born Mr. Easterbrook began working for McDonald's in London as a financial reporting manager in 1993 and rose through a variety of jobs, becoming president of McDonald's European division and then leaving for a couple of years to lead two British restaurant chains, PizzaExpress Ltd. and Wagamama Ltd., before returning to McDonald's in June 2013. He was McDonald's chief global brand officer just before becoming chief executive.

Mr. Easterbrook has made a number of business and social changes at McDonald's since March, including plans to offer all-day breakfast starting next month, to simplify the menu, to raise wages for employees at company-owned restaurants and switch to cage-free eggs.

The changes, however, haven't yet yielded an increase in sales. Same-store sales in the U.S. fell a worse-than-expected 2% in the three months through June, and total revenue in the quarter slid 9.5% to $6.5 billion.

Even before Mr. Easterbrook replaced previous CEO Don Thompson, McDonald's, which has been struggling with declining sales for the last three years, began shuffling its executive ranks. Last year it brought back some former executives who had been at the company during better times, such as Mike Andres, who's now head of McDonald's U.S. business.

 

Subscribe to WSJ: http://online.wsj.com?mod=djnwires

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

September 17, 2015 14:32 ET (18:32 GMT)

Copyright (c) 2015 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
McDonalds (NYSE:MCD)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024 Click Here for more McDonalds Charts.
McDonalds (NYSE:MCD)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024 Click Here for more McDonalds Charts.