McDonald’s implements diversity policies for the first time

Fast-food giant McDonald’s has announced it is implementing policies that hold its business leaders directly accountable for making tangible progress and upholding the values of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI).

McDonald’s says its values are the backbone of its brand and the driving force behind every decision it makes, but that inclusion is central to makes all other values possible.

The company aims to better represent the communities it serves through two initiatives:

1. Allyship through accountability Beginning in 2021, McDonald’s is linking quantitative human capital management-related metrics to annual incentive compensation for its Executive Vice Presidents – meaning they will not only be judged on financial performance but also improving representation within leadership roles for both women and historically underrepresented groups.
2. Represent the diverse communities in which it operates by increasing the diversity of leadership By end of 2025, McDonald’s expects to increase representation of historically underrepresented groups in leadership roles (Senior Director and above) in the US to 35% (2020 data shows this stands at 29%). By end of 2025, McDonald’s expects to increase representation of women in leadership roles globally (Senior Director and above) to 45% (up from 37%).

McDonald’s supporting women in leadership

This effort to support women in leadership builds on the company’s 2019 Gender Strategy to improve the representation of women at all levels of the Company by 2023, while also achieving gender equality in career advancement and championing the impact of women on the business.

“Guided by our values, we cannot be complacent in our pursuit to better ourselves and our communities,” said McDonald’s President and CEO Chris Kempczinski. 

“Few brands in the world have our size and reach. And as CEO, I remind myself daily that our customers, franchisees, employees, suppliers, and shareholders expect us to make a difference.”

In November 2020, McDonald’s appointed Reggie Miller (pictured above) as its new Global Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). Miller joined from VF Corporation where he developed the company’s award-winning formal diversity and inclusion strategy – with VF named on Forbes’ 2020 Best Employers for Diversity list.