Margaret Zabel departs McDonald’s after just one year in senior marketing role
Exited McDonald’s: Margaret Zabel
McDonald’s Australia has lost another senior marketer with its vice president of marketing Margaret Zabel departing after just a year, Mumbrella can reveal.
The former Communications Council boss follows chief marketing officer Mark Lollback out of the golden arches, leaving the fast food giant with a major gap at the top of its marketing food chain.
Zabel was thought to be one of the front-runners to replace Lollback, who is currently on gardening leave before taking over as the CEO of GroupM later this year.
Senior director of marketing Bronwyn Powell is now thought to be the leading internal contender for the role.
A spokesperson for McDonald’s said: “We can confirm Margaret has moved on from McDonald’s. She has been a highly regarded contributor to our business and we wish her well with her next endeavours.”
McDonald’s has yet to say whether she will be replaced.
Zabel told Mumbrella she is now talking to people about other opportunities in the marketing space, in particular using her background in computer science.
She joined the burger chain at the start of 2015 after three-and-a-half years heading up the Communications Council, the trade organisation for the creative advertising industry.
Her role at McDonald’s was due to include oversight of consumer and business insights, innovation and menu. In the last year the company has launched its ‘Create Your Taste’ campaign, and tried several new menu items, including the recent addition of Loaded Fries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZ2Q-i6XxBU
Prior to the Comms Council, Zabel spent 12 years in various marketing roles at Lion Nathan, and was previously with PepsiCo.
Alex Hayes
They just churn & burn there at the Golden Arches!!!
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Well, as long as they have seriously old (and only white) men on their board then this is what they can expect to happen over and over.
As well as world-wide sales in constant year-on-year decline the McDonald’s concept is so passe. Consumers have moved on but Maccas wont if they wont let them ‘create your board’.
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So they’ve lost a ‘Vice President of Marketing’, and a ‘Chief Marketing Officer’, and a ‘Senior Marketing Director’ looks set to take over.
How many titles can you create at the top?
(Then again, how many do you actually need?)
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