Jill McDonald to leave McDonald's for Halfords

McDonald's UK boss Jill McDonald is leaving the fast food giant to become chief executive of Halfords.

She will join the motoring and cycling retailer in May following nine years at McDonald's, during which time McDonald has been widely credited for improving the image of the restaurant chain.

McDonald is a marketing specialist who began her career in 1987 at Colgate Palmolive and was head of global marketing at British Airways before moving to McDonald's in 2006.

Replacing Matt Davies at Halfords after he was headhunted to head up Tesco UK, she will earn up to £1.25m a year in a salary and bonus package.

McDonald is also reported by The Times to be pocketing a ‘golden hello' of £495,000 to compensate her for giving up bonuses at the fast-food chain.

A spokesperson for McDonald's said: "Jill has taken the decision to leave our business and become chief executive officer of Halfords Group plc. Jill wishes in the next phase of her career to be the chief executive officer of a listed company, and we wish her every bit of her success in her new role.

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