McDonald’s UK chief exec quits to join Halfords
MCDONALD’S UK chief executive Jill McDonald is to leave her namesake after taking the top job at Halfords, the bikes-to-car parts retailer.
McDonald joined the American fast food chain in 2006 as chief marketing officer before being promoted to UK chief executive and president of its Northern Europe region in 2010.
Her departure comes less than a year after she took charge of Germany, McDonald’s largest European market, on top of her responsibilities for the UK and the Nordics.
She is set to join Halfords on 11 May, taking over from Matt Davies who is leaving at the end of May to lead Tesco’s UK & Ireland business.
The former Pets at Home boss has been widely credited for helping to revive Halfords’ fortunes after embarking on a three-year plan in 2013 focused on growing its cycling business, investing in staff training, revamping its stores and launching a new website.
The plan largely worked so far, after an 11 per cent rise in pre-tax profits at its half-year results in November and full-year sales expected to come close to the £1bn target set out three years ago.
Halfords’ chairman Dennis Millard said McDonald’s strong track record of heading a large, complex, service-led business made her a good fit for the company.
“I’m really excited that we have attracted someone of Jill’s calibre who will build on what we’ve achieved over the last few years and we all really look forward to working with her,” Millard said.