Chris Kempczinski

Kempczinski graduated from Duke University in 1991 with undergraduate degrees in public policy studies and economics, and later earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Harvard Business School.⁠[1][2]

He began his career in brand management at Procter & Gamble, later worked as a management consultant at Boston Consulting Group, and held operating and strategic planning roles at PepsiCo.⁠[1][3]

From 2008 to 2015, he held leadership roles at Kraft (later The Kraft Heinz Company), including senior vice president of U.S. Grocery, president of Kraft Canada, president of Kraft International, and executive vice president of growth initiatives.⁠[3][4]

In 2015, Kempczinski joined McDonald’s as executive vice president of strategy, business development and innovation, working with business leaders and franchisees on new ideas and best practices.⁠[4][3]

From 2017 to 2019, he was president of McDonald’s USA, overseeing about 14,000 U.S. restaurants.⁠[3][4]

On November 3, 2019, McDonald’s board determined that then-CEO Steve Easterbrook had violated company policy and shown poor judgment through a consensual relationship with an employee, and Easterbrook separated from the company; the board named Kempczinski president and chief executive officer, effective immediately, and elected him to the board.⁠[5]

He said in the company announcement: “I’m thrilled to be leading this incredible company.”⁠[5]

On November 9, 2020, McDonald’s announced the growth strategy “Accelerating the Arches” under Kempczinski, built on three pillars: Maximize Marketing, Commit to the Core (burgers, chicken and coffee), and Double Down on the 3 D’s (Digital, Delivery and Drive Thru). The company also introduced the MyMcDonald’s digital platform and planned to pilot a new loyalty program in the Phoenix area in the U.S.⁠[6]

Kempczinski said: “Accelerating the Arches defines how McDonald’s will deliver value to all stakeholders.”⁠[6]

Since 2021, he has been an independent director of Procter & Gamble, serving on the Audit Committee and the Compensation & Leadership Development Committee, which he chairs.⁠[3]

In April 2021, a 7-year-old girl was shot dead in the drive-thru of a Chicago McDonald’s, and a 13-year-old boy was fatally shot by Chicago police. After meeting then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot at McDonald’s headquarters, Kempczinski wrote in a text message to her: “With both, the parents failed those kids which I know is something you can’t say. Even harder to fix.”⁠[7][8]

In November 2021, after activists obtained the messages through a public-records request and made them public, protests took place at McDonald’s headquarters; a spokesperson for Lightfoot said: “Victim shaming has no place in this conversation.”⁠[8][7]

Kempczinski then wrote to U.S. corporate employees, acknowledging that “Not taking the time to think about this from their viewpoint was wrong,” and apologized in a video: “Those comments were wrong and I’m sorry.”⁠[7][8]

On March 19, 2024, McDonald’s announced the retirement of non-executive Chairman Enrique Hernandez Jr. and said Kempczinski would assume the combined role of chairman and chief executive officer as of the 2024 annual shareholders’ meeting, with Miles White becoming lead independent director.⁠[9][3]

In October 2024, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) linked an E. coli outbreak to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers; as of October 25, 75 cases had been reported in 13 states, with 22 hospitalizations and one death. Beef was ruled out and attention turned to onions from supplier Taylor Farms, and McDonald’s indefinitely stopped sourcing onions from the facility.⁠[10]

On the earnings call, Kempczinski said: “On behalf of the entire system, we are sorry for what our customers have experienced.”⁠[10]

On July 1, 2026, Kempczinski joined the Duke University Board of Trustees for a six-year term, serving on the Finance and Audit and Compliance committees; he is also a member of the university’s campaign council and an emeritus member of the Trinity Board of Visitors.⁠[1][2]

Kempczinski lives in Chicago with his wife; they have two adult children.⁠[2][4]

On September 23, 2026, McDonald’s held an investor day and unveiled “McDonald’s > NEXT,” the strategy succeeding “Accelerating the Arches,” covering menu, consumer, restaurant and people, and planned about $8.5 billion in total NEXT partnering support for the system through 2036, about $5 billion of it by 2030 through rent relief and capital support.⁠[11]

Kempczinski said at the investor meeting: “We expect industry traffic growth in our wholly-owned markets will be flat while inflation remains elevated,” adding: “The winners will be the companies that create more demand and deliver it more efficiently.” McDonald’s shares fell about 5% that day.⁠[12][13]

In an interview that day on CNBCCNBCCNBC is an American business and financial news cable channel launched by NBC in 1989; it merged with its rival FNN in 1991 and since January 2026 has been part of Versant Media Group, spun off from Comcast.Open the full entry’s “Squawk on the Street,” he said: “We do think inflation is going to be with us for, unfortunately, I think many more years at an elevated level.”⁠[14]

McDonald’s: Official website: https://corporate.mcdonalds.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[15]

Procter & Gamble: Official website: https://us.pg.com/ (opens in a new window)⁠[3]

Duke University: Official website: https://duke.edu/ (opens in a new window)⁠[1]