A week after restructuring its marketing branch, McDonald’s is undergoing more changes to its corporate roster—this time with the human resources team.
The fast-food chain announced Wednesday that Melissa Kersey, chief people officer for the brand’s domestic markets, is leaving the company for a new challenge. Kersey was responsible for the company’s U.S. Diversity Strategy and expanding its labor pool via innovative recruitment technology.
Kersey’s departure coincides with two internal promotions within the department.
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Melanie Steinbach, who serves as vice president and global chief talent officer, will become SVP and chief people officer for U.S. markets. In her current role, she’s been responsible for redesigning the restaurant’s approach to talent management across the world.
Steinbach, who’s worked at McDonald’s since January 2017, previously spent time as chief human resources officer at Milliken & Company, an industrial manufacturer. She has 15 years worth of experience at global search firms where she resolved problems through talent in the consumer, retail, and marketing sectors.
“Melanie is an accomplished business executive who cares deeply about people. Her work fostering an environment for diverse, global talent to thrive has been critical in supporting McDonald’s strategy evolution and growth,” said Heidi Capozzi, EVP and global chief people officer, in a statement.
Shammara Howell will fill Steinbach’s role as vice president and global chief talent officer. She will oversee talent attraction, performance management, leadership development, and organizational effectiveness.
Howell is currently serving as senior director of human resources for McDonald’s, a role in which she drove the evolution of the HR Business Partner team and helped with the relocation of McDonald’s headquarters. Prior to joining the company in February 2017, she worked as a human resources director at PetSmart and Sam’s Club.
The promotions will be effective July 1. Kersey, Steinbach, and Howell will work together to ensure a smooth transition until then.
“These are exciting developments as we continue to tap into our pipeline of talent and refine our People strategy to fit the evolving needs of the business and regain momentum,” Capozzi said. “The People team also has an incredibly important responsibility to drive our culture and embed our values in a way that makes McDonald’s a great place to work, supports you, and embodies our responsibility as a Brand that pushes for positive change in the world. Those efforts are more important than ever, and I look forward to continuing the dialogue across the System and working closely with Melanie, Shammara, and the entire People team to ensure our values are responsive to today’s environment.”
The announcement marks the second consecutive week of corporate changes at McDonald’s. While revealing the departure of Colin Mitchell, SVP of global marketing, the company promoted Alistair Macrow to global chief marketing officer and Morgan Flatley to SVP and U.S. chief marketing and digital customer experience officer.
