Chris Kempczinski

Christopher John Kempczinski (born 1967/1968) is an American business executive, and the president and chief executive officer (CEO) of McDonald's Corporation.

Early life

Christopher John Kempczinski is the son of Richard Kempczinski, who was Professor of Surgery and Chief of Vascular Surgery at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, and Ann Marie Kempczinski (née Campbell), who was a primary school teacher at Terrace Park Elementary in Cincinnati, Ohio. He attended Indian Hill High School in suburban Cincinnati.

Kempczinski earned a bachelor's degree from Duke University, and an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1997.

Career

Kempczinski started his career with Procter & Gamble in brand management, and worked for four years in its soap sector division, before leaving to attend Harvard Business School (HBS). After HBS he became a management consultant at the Boston Consulting Group, focusing on consumer products and pharmaceuticals.

In 2000, Kempczinski joined PepsiCo in its corporate strategy & development group, and in 2006, was VP, Marketing, Non Carbonated Beverages, Pepsi-Cola North America Beverages.

Before joining McDonald's, Kempczinski worked for Kraft Foods as executive vice president of growth initiatives, and president of Kraft International. He left Kraft in September 2015.

Kempczinski joined the McDonald's global strategy team in late 2015, and was promoted to president of McDonald's USA in October 2016. In November 2019, he succeeded Steve Easterbrook as president and CEO, after Easterbrook was voted out by the board for having a relationship with an employee in contravention of company rules.

Personal life

As of 2008, Kempczinski is married, with two children.