Former Amazon exec fills McDigital role

Atif Rafiq was named to the newly created position of chief digital officer at McDonald’s after previously serving as general manager of Kindle Direct Publishing at Amazon.



In his new role, Rafiq will lead McDonald's global digital strategy focusing on future growth in e-commerce, modernizing the restaurant experience and engaging with consumers across the digital landscape. Rafiq will report to chief brand officer Steve Easterbrook.



"Consumers visit and interact with our brand in multiple ways — and digital continues to grow increasingly important to them," said Easterbrook. "Atif will lead a more coordinated and comprehensive digital strategy for our global organization as we deepen our connection with our customers. His cutting-edge thinking, background and expertise will help us drive even greater innovation in this arena."



Rafiq has nearly 20 years of financial and tech industry experience. As general manager of Kindle Direct Publishing at Amazon.com, he oversaw global product management, marketing, design and development. Before that, he led the Y! Local Division as general manager, and global product strategy for the Y! News Division at Yahoo.com!



"Bringing Atif onto our leadership team represents a tremendous opportunity for McDonald's to elevate our restaurant experience and strengthen the bond we share with our customers in new ways," said McDonald's president and CEO Don Thompson.



"I am excited to join this iconic brand," said Rafiq. "I look forward to building on the strong foundation in place and creating even more relevant opportunities to engage with the millions of customers who interact with McDonald's every day around the world."



Prior to his time at Amazon and Yahoo!, Rafiq was CEO of a venture capital backed company, and held prior positions with AOL and Goldman Sachs. Rafiq has built a strong network across Silicon Valley and has advised dozens of startups throughout his career in spaces such as mobile commerce, social media, online communities and projects with a hyper-local neighborhood focus.



Rafiq earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics and economics from Wesleyan University and holds a master's degree in finance and marketing from the University of Chicago.



McDonald's operates more than 34,500 locations. It serves more than 69 million customers in more than 100 countries each day.