Neil Golden out as McDonald’s U.S. marketing chief

McDonald’s U.S. marketing head Neil Golden will leave his post early next year after working for the company for 24 years, the fast-food giant confirmed Tuesday.

As chief marketing officer since April 2008, Golden helped introduce the McCafe line of beverages, expand the Dollar Menu and add fruit servings to Happy Meals.

The Oak Brook, Ill., company did not say who would succeed Golden or when a successor would be named, saying in a statement that “it is too soon to speculate.”

McDonald’s upper ranks have been roiled with change since former Chief Executive Jim Skinner said in March 2012 that he planned to retire. President Don Thompson took over in his stead that July.

Jan Fields, president of McDonald’s USA, stepped down in November, days after the company reported its first monthly same-store sales slide in nine years. The chain has about 14,000 locations in the U.S.

“Looking ahead, we remain confident in the future and direction of our business and our brand,” Kevin Newell, chief brand and strategy officer for McDonald’s USA, said in a statement Tuesday. “We are aligned on strategies that will take our success to the next level and advance us toward our vision of becoming our customers’ favorite place and way to eat and drink.”

In July, Thompson told analysts that the chain’s results for the rest of 2013 “are expected to remain challenged.”

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