McDonald’s has named Ugwechi Amadi as its new senior vice president and chief strategy officer, a move that brings an executive with experience at Nike and LIV Golf into the company’s top ranks. Amadi joined earlier this month, replacing Emily Reasor, who shifted to managing director for the New Zealand market, according to a LinkedIn post from McDonald’s CFO Ian Borden.
Amadi will help shape the chain’s future under its NEXT strategy, which includes improvements to hospitality and food quality as well as restaurant redesigns and tech innovations. Borden wrote that she “will help bring our strategy to life across the business, spotting new opportunities and keeping our priorities grounded in what matters most to our customers, communities, and the brand.”
In her own LinkedIn post, Amadi said she plans to build on the chain’s strong foundation while creating new opportunities for growth. She comes from LIV Golf, where she served as executive vice president and head of corporate strategy and development. Before that, she spent time at Nike and The Boston Consulting Group, per her LinkedIn profile.
Experience in transformation and execution
Borden noted that Amadi brings experience in strategy, transformation and business leadership. At LIV Golf, he said, she helped “align priorities, strengthen execution, and drive innovation across the business.” Her background suggests a focus on both big-picture planning and operational follow-through.
The challenge for Amadi will be turning the NEXT strategy into measurable results across McDonald’s roughly 40,000 restaurants worldwide. The plan already includes new restaurant designs, faster drive-thrus and higher food standards. Execution at that scale is never straightforward. She will need to balance innovation with the consistency that franchisees and customers expect.
Related: Restaurants Find Success with Limited AI Use
McDonald’s has been pushing to modernize its image and speed up service, partly through tech upgrades like mobile ordering and AI-driven kitchen systems. Amadi’s role will involve identifying where those efforts can go next without losing the reliability the brand is known for. Some restaurants have already found success with limited AI use in their operations.
Other leadership changes this year
Amadi is not the only new face in McDonald’s C-suite this year. Earlier this month, the chain hired Bryan Brown, a veteran of Raising Cane’s, as chief development officer. In April, McDonald’s brought on Skye Anderson as its first-ever McDonald’s USA chief operating officer, a newly created position. The company also named a senior vice president of global franchise and delivery and appointed a chief transformation and services officer.
In February, McDonald’s promoted Luis Quintiliano from managing director of Spain to U.S. national field president. The flurry of hires signals a broader effort to refresh leadership across operations, development and strategy.
McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest appointment or the company’s overall leadership direction.