OAK BROOK, Ill. — Edgardo Navarro Linares has been promoted to vice president, multicultural marketing, McDonald's USA. Navarro will be responsible for McDonald's US strategic and ethnic consumer marketing efforts. He will report to McDonald's US Chief Marketing Officer Neil Golden and assume his new role on Jan. 4.

"Multicultural marketing at McDonald's is more than segmented ethnic advertising campaigns; it's a business imperative and an integral element in our business strategy and marketing plans," Golden said. "With Edgardo's leadership, we will continue to align and allocate resources in support of the most significant growth areas of our business and ensure that an ethnic consumer perspective is understood and applied at all points throughout the marketing process."


"With the growing influence of ethnic consumers on mainstream trends including music, food, sports, fashion and lifestyle, I am delighted to take on this new role and build upon McDonald's success as a brand that customers know and trust," Navarro said. "Our multicultural marketing efforts are critical in helping us to expand and build brand relevance in the US with our diverse customer base. I am honored to assume this responsibility."

An 18-year McDonald's veteran with a strong business and financial acumen, Navarro most recently served as the vice president and general manager of McDonald's Indianapolis Region, which encompasses a total of 598 restaurants in Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri. He has held a variety of leadership positions at McDonald's in the US and Central America. Prior to his role as general manager in Indianapolis, Navarro served as vice president of the company's Houston Region's operations team.

As the former president of McDonald's Central America, purchasing director for McDonald's Puerto Rico, International Purchasing in Home Office and senior financial manager for the Asia-Pacific Division, Navarro has developed and executed business and financial plans that have successfully impacted the McDonald's business since 1993.

Navarro is the former president and founder of RMHC Panama. He also organized RMHC Chapters for El Salvador, Honduras and Costa Rica and served as the Houston Region's Hispanic Lead for Inclusion and Diversity Networks. He is currently chairs the National Hispanic Employee Business Network (NHEBN).

McDonald's USA LLC is the leading foodservice provider in the US serving a variety of foods to more than 26 million customers every day. Nearly 90% of McDonald's 14,000 US. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local business men and women.