NOT A FAN OF HIS
That’s the withering verdict of husband whose ex-wife had affair with sacked McDonald’s boss
THE former husband of a PR executive who had a two-year affair with shamed British McDonald’s boss Steve Easterbrook told friends last night: ‘I’m not a fan of his.’
Mr Easterbrook, 52, was fired from his €14m-a-year CEO role last week after a ‘consensual’ fling with a junior colleague.
However, it later emerged the father of three had also had another office romance with high-flying public relations manager Denise Paleothodoros.
The affair was going on when he became boss of the burger giant in March 2015.
Ms Paleothodoros had separated from her husband and was going through a divorce.
Last night a friend of her ex-husband Nick Paleothodoros said: ‘Nick is not a fan of Easterbrook’s. I am sure you can make your own conclusions as to why.’
Mr Paleothodoros himself declined to comment on whether his wife’s relationship with Mr Easterbrook contributed to the breakdown of their marriage, citing a clause in his divorce which prevents him from speaking ‘disparagingly’ about his former spouse.
However, he became visibly emotional when the Mail on Sunday asked him about their romance. There is no evidence that the affair began before Mr and Mrs Paleothodoros
had split. Ms Paleothodoros, 46, who is now executive director of Golin, a Chicago-based PR firm, was in charge of her firm’s McDonald’s account for five-and-a-half years until her lover became CEO.
The McDonald’s board were made aware of the relationship and she was taken off the account.
At the time Mr Easterbrook had separated from his wife Susie and the board determined his relationship with Ms Paleothodoros did not violate company policy.
The Easterbrooks have since divorced. Ms Paleothodoros, who is an outspoken advocate of women’s right’s, said: ‘Steve and I were in a relationship and that ended amicably a while ago.’
She declined to comment further from her home on the outskirts of Chicago, where McDonald’s has its worldwide HQ.
Records show Ms Paleothodoros and her ex-husband, who runs a local restaurant called Mother’s Day, began divorce proceedings in 2014 with their marriage officially ending the following year. The couple have two children aged 18 and 13.
On her LinkedIn page, Ms Paleothodoros describes herself as, ‘Intellectually curious. Deep Thoughts, big questions’. She has written articles on the ‘taboo’ subject of how the menopause affects women in the workplace.
Mr Easterbrook has kept a low profile since his departure from McDonald’s but was seen buying a computer at an Apple store near his €2.3m Chicago flat.
‘You can make your own conclusions as to why’
The businessman, once dubbed ‘the wonder from Watford’ in reference to his birthplace and his success in raising the McDonald’s share price, stands to receive a severance package reportedly worth up to €63m.
He sent an email to employees admitting his most recent relationship with an unidentified junior member of staff was a ‘mistake’ and not in keeping with the McDonald’s code of conduct which he signed off last year.
It bans relationships between bosses and those working directly or indirectly for them.