McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE:MCD) on Thursday said it promoted Mats Lederhausen to executive vice president, strategy and
business development, signaling its growing emphasis on new concepts and ways to bolster sales in the competitive fast-food
market.

“As McDonald’s moves forward, strategic development will play an
increasing role in defining our company’s future,” Chairman and Chief
Executive Jack Greenberg said in a statement. Lederhausen’s “deep
McDonald’s operations experience, coupled with his consulting background,
will help us develop and refine our long-term business strategies.”

Lederhausen, formerly senior vice president, corporate strategy, began his
McDonald’s career as a restaurant crew member in Sweden in 1979,
subsequently holding restaurant management and director of operations
positions.

Under his leadership, the company’s Swedish operations grew to nearly
170 restaurants from 40. Lederhausen, 37, joined the corporate staff in
1999 as vice president, corporate strategy.

McDonald’s, which recently made a number of top-level management
changes, has seen profits in recent quarters erode, in part due to flagging
sales in Europe and a strong U.S. dollar.

Shares of McDonald’s, based in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Illinois, were up 19 cents to $26.83 in late-morning trading on the
New York Stock Exchange.