McDonald’s chief executive officer was fired after violating an internal policy by having a consensual romantic relationship with an employee, the company said Sunday.
The fast-food giant said the former president and CEO Steve Easterbrook showed a lack of judgment. McDonald’s prohibits its managers from having romantic relationships with direct or indirect subordinates.
In an email sent to employees, Easterbrook acknowledged that he had a relationship with an employee and said it was a mistake.
“Given the values of the company, I agree with the board of directors that it is time for me to leave,” said Easterbrook.
The McDonald’s board voted on Friday in favor of Easterbrook’s departure after conducting a thorough investigation. Details of your exit package will be made public on Monday in a document submitted to the federal government, according to a company spokesman. It will also leave the board of directors.
Easterbrook was McDonald’s CEO since 2015.
McDonald’s did not provide details about the employee with whom the former director had a relationship, and his lawyer declined to answer questions.
The board of directors appointed Chris Kempczinski, who recently served as president of McDonald’s USA, to be its new president and CEO.
Two weeks ago, the company reported a 2% drop in its third-quarter net income after heavy expenses in the remodeling of its branches and in an extension of the home delivery service. Since then the price of its shares has decreased by 7.5%, although it continues with a gain of 9.2% so far this year. The hamburger chain has been affected by a decrease in the number of people visiting its restaurants.
The change in leadership has nothing to do with the company’s financial or operational performance, the company said in a statement.
Kempczinski, which arrived in 2015, contributed to the development of McDonald’s strategic plan and oversaw the most comprehensive transformation of the US business in the history of the company, said Enrique Hernández, chairman of the board of directors, in a statement.
Kempczinski said Easterbrook had been a mentor to him.
