For me, the "engineering" experience is simply how to effectively capitalize on opportunities and navigate through barriers by critically thinking about alternatives. Critical thinking is a competency that is not only desirable but absolutely necessary in today's business environment.

 

Don Thompson is president of McDonald's USA. In this role, he oversees the nation’s entire McDonald’s system, including 13,700 restaurants. Prior to this he served as executive vice president and chief operating officer for McDonald’s USA and was instrumental in establishing and executing its strategic U.S. growth plan.

Mr. Thompson earned his BSEE from Purdue (1984) and began his career with McDonald’s as a restaurant systems engineer. He has served as executive vice president for McDonald’s restaurant solutions group, where he led global innovation orchestration; president of McDonald’s West Division, leading an organization of 4,000 restaurants in 16 states; and president of the former McDonald’s Midwest Division, overseeing 2,200 restaurants. Before joining the Midwest Division, he was regional vice president for the San Diego Region and was responsible for more than 350 restaurants in Southern California.