OAK BROOK, Ill. -- After more than two decades with McDonald's, chief marketing officer William Lamar Jr. has announced his plan to retire from the company at the end of first-quarter 2008. The Oak Brook, Ill.-based fast feeder has promoted Neil Golden to senior vice president and chief marketing officer, McDonald's USA, effective April 1, 2008.
Lamar has served as CMO for McDonald's USA since August 2002. In addition to national marketing for McDonald's nearly 14,000 U.S. restaurants, Lamar was also responsible for new product development as well as [image-nocss] business research.
"Bill's contributions to our brand are simply too vast to attempt to quantify," said Don Thompson, president of McDonald's USA. "What Bill has effectively done in his own unique and quiet way is leave an indelible mark on our brand that will last for generations to come. Brand McDonald's has benefited greatly by his contributions."
Lamar was among the McDonald's management team that developed and implemented the Plan To Win, which led to the turnaround of the McDonald's business in 2003. He led the effort to unify and focus McDonald's marketing under one system plan, which included the highly "i'm lovin' it" campaign. Lamar's team in new product development created and introduced an unprecedented number of successful new products during his tenure, the company said.
Having spent half of his McDonald's career in restaurant operations, Lamar is known throughout the company as an "operations guy." For more than five years, he was vice president and general manager for McDonald's Atlanta region, overseeing more than 700 company-owned and franchised restaurants in four states, consistently generating sales of more than $1 billion every year.
"Anyone who knows Bill Lamar will tell you he's intensely competitive," said Jan Fields, executive vice president and COO, McDonald's USA. "Bill's positive attitude and willingness to take risks has served our brand very well. He strives for nothing less than excellence in every aspect of his personal and professional life. He has instilled these attributes in his team and he leaves McDonald's in a stronger position than when he joined the company nearly 25 years ago."
"Bill Lamar has been a great business partner," said Ralph Alvarez, president and COO for McDonald's Corp. "He's a leader who has always put our brand and our system first. He's earned great respect and admiration with his accomplishments throughout his career."
Golden, an 18-year McDonald's veteran with extensive local and national marketing experience, is well-positioned to lead McDonald's U.S. Marketing, said the company.
"Neil Golden has a proven track record of people and marketing leadership for brand McDonald's," said Thompson. "Knowing the essence of our business, coupled with a keen insight for what resonates and motivates people makes Neil uniquely qualified to lead national marketing for the U.S. business."
Golden's McDonald's career began in 1989 as a regional marketing supervisor in McDonald's Indianapolis region. Since then, he has held a variety of field and home office positions, including his most recent position as vice president of marketing for McDonald's USA, where he was responsible for new initiatives, emerging consumer trends, strategic planning, plan development and ethnic marketing.
In his new role, Golden will oversee all aspects of national marketing for McDonald's USA, including collaboration and alignment with McDonald's Operator National Advertising Fund (OPNAD).
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