Senior Vice President, Chief Impact Officer of North America, McDonald’s USA
Michael Gonda is the Senior Vice President and Chief Impact Officer of North America for McDonald's. In this role, Michael leads efforts to drive one holistic brand strategy across Communications, Government Relations, Sustainability & ESG and Philanthropy in the U.S. and Canada. Together, the teams he oversees work to engage stakeholders and communities to protect and enhance the McDonald’s brand.
Prior to his current position, Michael served on the McDonald’s global senior leadership team as Global Chief Communications Officer, where he was responsible for increasing brand trust and communicating the vision and values of the business. In this role, Michael oversaw some of the most critical work for the business—including communications management around the COVID-19 pandemic, the launch of the Accelerating the Arches strategy and the development of the company’s purpose, mission and values. Further, Michael developed strategies and creative content to make McDonald’s one of the most admired brands in the world, contributing to an unprecedented increase in positive brand sentiment, employee engagement and business growth.
Before joining McDonald's, Michael held the role of Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Chobani, where he solidified brand identity and recognition, earning certifications like “Great Place to Work,” Fortune’s “Change the World” and Fast Company’s “25 Brands that Matter Now”. Michael began his career as a reporter and earned a BA with Honors from Brown University.
Michael has been consistently recognized for his personal leadership and the accomplishments of the teams he oversees. PRWeek named him Global Professional of the Year and one of the 50 most powerful leaders in the industry. He has also been recognized by PRovoke Influence and Business Insider as one of the 100 most influential in-house corporate affairs professionals.
Michael currently serves as the co-executive sponsor of McDonald's Black Employee Network, BGLDN (pronounced Be Golden), where he is committed to driving representation, equity and inclusion by putting action to allyship.
He lives in Chicago with his wife, Emma and two children Lazlo and Indie.
