McDonald’s UK has lost one of its most aptly named executives, with Zoe Hamburger stepping down after just 18 months as senior vice president and chief restaurant officer.
Hamburger, who joined the UK leadership team in 2024, was responsible for overseeing franchising and delivery operations across Britain. She has now been promoted to managing director of McDonald’s Netherlands.
Her name frequently drew attention during her tenure — she once joked that “some things are meant to be,” acknowledging the nominative determinism of running restaurants at a company famous for flipping burgers. “Hamburger has been my name my entire life too, so as you can imagine, it has always made people do a bit of a double take,” she told The Times.
Hamburger has worked in and around McDonald’s for more than a decade, beginning her career in advertising and PR before taking on senior roles within the US business. She previously led the Bethesda Field Office, which covered six states and more than 1,200 restaurants.
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