McDonald’s Corp. Names Quinlan as New Chairman

Michael R. Quinlan, president and chief executive of McDonald’s Corp., will succeed Fred L. Turner as chairman of the world’s largest restaurant chain on March 31.

Quinlan, 45, said in an interview that he wants to put the Golden Arches in China and that McDonald’s customers will likely see more dinner-type meals added to the menu in coming years.

“The challenge to McDonald’s is to be more things to more people, the same philosophy we’ve been following for many years now,” Quinlan said.

Turner, 56, will become senior chairman and continue as chairman of the board’s executive committee, McDonald’s said in a statement.

The post of senior chairman was previously held by company founder Ray Kroc from 1977--when Turner succeeded Kroc as chairman--until Kroc’s death in 1984.

Quinlan joined Oak Brook, Ill.-based McDonald’s in 1963 as a part-time mail room employee. He served as a McDonald’s restaurant manager, field service manager, district and regional manager before being named a vice president in 1974.

He rose quickly through the executive ranks and was named in 1980 to the newly created position of president of McDonald’s U.S.A., in charge of domestic operations. Quinlan was named president and chief operating officer of the corporation in 1982 and became chief executive in 1987.

Quinlan will continue as CEO after assuming the chairmanship, but the position of corporate president will be eliminated.

Industry analysts said Quinlan has been largely in charge of operations since the mid-1980s while Turner has been more involved in strategic decisions.

Quinlan’s goals include further expansion of McDonald’s into Eastern Europe. The company has restaurants in Yugoslavia and Hungary, and it plans to open one in Moscow on Jan. 31.

The company also hopes to put a restaurant in Beijing, Quinlan said.

“We’ve made some preliminary inquiries, we’re studying the infrastructure, and we’re searching for a partner over there,” he said. “We’re bullish on it.”