William Lamar, McDonald’s U.S. marketing chief is retiring after five years in the role, the company said yesterday.
Company veteran Neil Golden, McDonald’s vice president of marketing, will replace Lamar as senior vice president and chief marketing officer on April 1.
The news comes after months of rumors that Lamar, a 25-year veteran, would leave the company. His last day is March 30.
In his current position, Golden handles new initiatives, identifies emerging trends and is in charge of strategic planning and ethnic marketing for McDonald’s USA. He started in 1989 as a regional marketing supervisor for the Indianapolis region.
In his new role, Golden will be in charge of all national marketing for McDonald’s USA, including working with McDonald’s Operator National Advertising Fund for about 14,000 McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S.
“For any current or aspiring marketer, the CMO job at McDonald’s is the equivalent of the elusive brass ring,” Golden said in a statement. “It’s humbling to think about the leadership marketing campaigns produced for this great brand during the last 50 years. However, because we have so many passionate, creative and tremendously talented marketing professionals working on our business, I am absolutely confident we’ll continue to surprise and delight our customers in ways that are fun and uniquely McDonald’s.”
Lamar, 55, has worked as McDonald’s U.S. marketing chief since 2002 overseeing national marketing, new product development and business research for the company. He helped launched some of the chain’s new food items, including McDonald’s Go Active! Happy Meal for Adults, and most recently, the new McSkillet breakfast burrito. He was also one of the leaders behind McDonald’s internal Plan to Win campaign, which led to the turnaround of the McDonald’s, the company said.
Prior to landing the marketing post, he worked as general manager and regional vice-president for McDonald’s Atlanta Region, handling more than 700 restaurants in Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina and portions of North Carolina and Tennessee. Before that, Lamar held marketing jobs with Quaker Oats, Burrell Advertising and United Airlines.
Network
