McDonald’s announced Monday that former General Mills executive Tiffanie Boyd will become its new U.S. chief people officer, three months after the previous human resources leader left the brand.
Boyd, whose tenure will start January 4, is coming off a 23-year career at General Mills where she recently served as vice president of human resources for North America Retail. At the company, she served in human resources roles across supply chain, food service, and retail business units in the U.S. and Canada.
“I’m proud to join a company with such a powerful brand and broad presence across our country. I look forward to working with franchisees to bring the McDonald’s values to life through our people and their employee experience, as well as the communities in which we operate,” Boyd said in a statement. “My goal is to ensure that McDonald’s is a place where people love the work they do, have opportunities to grow, and can make a meaningful contribution to society. As I step into my role, my first priority will be to spend time with employees, managers, crew, owner/operators and other partners who bring the iconic McDonald’s brand to life.”
In January, Boyd will become McDonald’s third U.S. chief people officer in six months. In June, the fast-food giant said Melanie Steinbach would be promoted from vice president and global chief talent officer to U.S. chief people officer. Steinbach’s tenure started July 1, but a month later, it was revealed that Steinbach was no longer with the company. At the time, Global Chief People Officer Heidi Capozzi said she couldn’t comment on Steinbach’s departure, and added that it was “in the best interest of the company.”
In the meantime, Candace Jean-Louis has served as interim U.S. chief people officer.
Capozzi and McDonald’s U.S. President Joe Erlinger described Boyd as a leader known for “stepping into the challenge of change with tenacity and success.” In her current position at General Mills, she led an engagement and culture change for 11,000 employees.
“Tiffanie joins us at a time when our commitment to people has never been more critical. As part of our 2021-2022 U.S. Own the Ambition plan, Crew Experience is our most important growth priority,” says Capozzi and Erlinger in a note viewed by QSR. “In partnership with owner/operator leadership, we intend to make bold moves for our people as we roll out our Employee Value Proposition and People Purpose throughout the System. Tiffanie will help us lead this work and continue to make McDonald’s a safe, equitable, and rewarding place to work.”
For the past year, McDonald’s has pushed for a companywide culture change after the firing of former CEO Steve Easterbrook, who allegedly had multiple affairs. Easterbrook and the brand are currently in a tense legal battle as the restaurant attempts to recoup his multi-million dollar severance package. David Fairhurst, McDonald’s former global chief people officer, was also fired in November for inappropriate behavior toward women on numerous occasions.
Capozzi was brought on in the spring to effect change, and has done so by investigating hiring practices, performance evaluations, and how the department handles employees’ concerns. McDonald’s said it partnered with a third-party company to conduct “global survey and listening sessions” to understand bright and blind spots.
Boyd is the latest in a string of executive hires for McDonald’s. Bethany Tate Cornell was brought on as the new chief learning and development officer and Reggie Miller was hired as the global diversity, equity, and inclusion officer.
