Costa Coffee appoints former McDonald’s exec as CEO
Dominic Paul, the current CEO of Costa Coffee, will step down on November 30 but remains with Costa as a special advisor up to February 2020 to support the transition.
Coca-Cola notes Paul’s work in leading Costa through a strong growth phase, along with the sale of Costa to The Coca-Cola Company (completed in January this year) and the complex separation from Whitbread.
“Dominic led a significant reshaping of Costa’s international footprint, the expansion of the brand across multiple new platforms and a wide-ranging reset of the core UK business strategy,” said Jennifer Mann, president of Global Ventures for The Coca-Cola Company.
From Colgate-Palmolive to Marks & Spencer
In her most recent position, Jill McDonald was managing director of clothing and home for UK retailer Marks & Spencer. Prior to that, she was CEO of Halfords Group, a UK retailer of bikes, car parts, leisure products and a chain of garages. McDonald's time at Halfords was from 2015 to 2017.
McDonald held three roles with McDonald’s Corp. from 2006 to 2015, ultimately as UK CEO and division president, North Europe. From 1990 to 2006, McDonald worked for British Airways, eventually as global head of marketing. McDonald started her career as a graduate trainee at Colgate-Palmolive in 1987.
McDonald, a native of the UK, is a graduate of the University of Brighton and currently serves on the board of InterContinental Hotels Group.
“I have long been a fan of Costa and have watched the company grow in the UK and far beyond,” McDonald said. “I look forward to joining the Costa leadership team and building on the great foundation and growth potential in the business.”
Jennifer Mann, president of Global Ventures for The Coca-Cola Company, said: “McDonald’s track record, depth of international experience and excitement about joining our business makes her an ideal leader to build on the great work of Dominic and the rest of the Costa team.”
McDonald will start as Costa Coffee CEO on December 2.
