Dive Brief:
- McDonald's has tapped Tiffanie Boyd as its new U.S. chief people officer, the company announced in an emailed statement Monday. Boyd will step into the role on Jan. 4, 2021.
- Boyd comes from General Mills, where she worked for over 20 years, most recently as the food manufacturer's vice president of HR for North America Retail. In that role, she focused on engagement and culture change, according to the release.
- Boyd's hiring is the latest in a string of executive shuffling in McDonald's HR department, a trend sparked by former CEO Steve Easterbrook's ouster in November 2019 over inappropriate behavior and subsequent investigations into the company's HR culture.
Dive Insight:
Boyd joins McDonald's when its "commitment to people has never been more critical," the company said in an emailed statement. This sentiment is right on the money, as the aftershocks of Easterbrook's messy exit from the chain dredged up additional reports of misconduct and a culture of enablement. These reports, compounded by lawsuits complaining of sexual harassment and racial discrimination at both the corporate and store level, have tarnished the Golden Arches' brand perception.
Boyd replaces Melanie Steinbach, who abruptly left the role in August after being promoted to the position in June. Candace Jean-Louis, senior director of HR for McDonald's Philippines, served as the interim U.S. CPO, McDonald's said in a statement. It's possible that Boyd's predecessor Steinbach was pushed out of the company to clean house and eliminate the executives that were part of Easterbrook's tenure. McDonald's, however, never definitively stated whether Steinbach was fired.
"For a variety of reasons, and unfortunately I can’t comment on the specifics, we determined that her separation was really in the best interest of the company," McDonald's Global Chief People Officer Heidi Capozzi said during an online meeting with employees, The Wall Street Journal reported in August.
McDonald's admitted in an August company town hall, however, that Capozzi's predecessor David Fairhurst was fired for cause for making female employees "uncomfortable on numerous occasions at business events," Business Insider reports. Fairhurst was terminated in November, shortly after Easterbrook was fired.
Boyd could give the company a clean slate after a high level of turnover in McDonald's HR department.
"As part of our 2021-2022 U.S. Own the Ambition plan, Crew Experience is our most important growth priority. 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," McDonald's said in a a statement. "Tiffanie will help us lead this work and continue to make McDonald’s a safe, equitable, and rewarding place to work."
Jean-Louis will continue to serve as interim U.S. CPO through Jan. 4 and will support Boyd through her onboarding to the role.
