Earlier this week, news broke that McDonald’s CEO Don Thompson was retiring from his position as head of the world’s largest fast-food chain effective March 1.
Thompson, who stepped into his role as CEO of McDonald’s in July 2012, joined an exclusive group of black executives, including Kenneth Chenault of American Express and Ursula Burns of Xerox Corp, who lead major publicly-traded corporations.
On Thursday, Jan. 29, SVP/Editor-in-Chief of Black Enterprise magazine, Derek Dingle, appeared on Roland Martin to discuss Thompson’s retirement and the legacy that he leaves behind.
“Don Thompson leaves a legacy of the value of diversity at the top in fueling innovation and inclusion. He has created a pipeline of African American and minority managers — 50 percent of McDonald’s managers are minorities and women — that will ascend to the top of corporate America,” said Dingle. “That’s the primary reason McDonald’s has consistently made our 40 Best Companies for Diversity.”
While there’s no word on what Thompson’s next career move will be, Dingle says there’s no question that the business executive holds a bright future.
“This is definitely not the last we will hear from Don Thompson. He is rare air — one of the few executives who can run a mammoth global organization,” said Dingle. “At 51, he is young but experienced with great vision and prowess. He will either be tapped to operate a major corporation, business venture or a high-powered role in government.”
Be sure to catch Thompson at this year’s Black Enterprise Women of Power Summit held March 2-5, 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Fl.