Second British McDonald’s boss sacked as sleaze scandal grows
A SECOND British boss at McDonald’s was fired over allegations of inappropriate behaviour, it has emerged, deepening the sleaze scandal at the top of the fast food giant.
A day after the firm axed chief executive Steve Easterbrook over an office affair last year, his head of HR David Fairhurst also left the company.
Mr Fairhurst’s shock departure was initially put down to a desire for a new challenge, but it has now been revealed that he too was sacked.
The twice-married former chief personnel officer, 51, was fired after reportedly making female co-workers feel uncomfortable on numerous occasions at business events, according to insiders.
One such incident included ‘inappropriate physical contact’ with a junior colleague at a boozy Christmas party in 2018, it is alleged. Mr Fairhurst’s replacement as HR boss, Heidi Capozzi, told staff about the allegations against the father-offour in an online meeting last week, the Wall Street Journal has reported.
In a message to staff, Miss Capozzi said: ‘The actions taken by former leadership aren’t representative of this company as a whole, nor are they representative of us as an HR team.’
Mr Fairhurst, originally from Wigan, had enjoyed a close working relationship with Mr Easterbrook and the pair rose through the company’s ranks together.
They were at the fast food chain’s British and European divisions before both moving to the US for senior roles.
When Mr Easterbrook was appointed CEO in 2015, he took Mr Fairhurst to the firm’s Chicago HQ to be his HR supremo as the pair began a hugely successful overhaul of the chain’s management structure.
Dave Ulrich, a professor at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, consulted with McDonald’s executives on the company’s HR systems between 2016 and 2019.
Mr Ulrich said: ‘Steve said to David, “You have to change the culture. That’s why you’ve been hired”.’ But Mr Fairhurst, who grew up harbouring ambitions to become a priest, is said to have enabled a party culture at McDonald’s including a Thursday after-work happy hour at a bar inside the company’s HQ in Chicago. At the Christmas party in 2018 his conduct was said to be such that one employee filed a complaint.
Other staff were said to be worried at the relaxing of performance reviews during Mr Easterbrook’s tenure, which they claimed meant less accountability and complaints being diminished.
A McDonald’s insider said: ‘David Fairhurst was terminated for cause based on conduct that was inconsistent with McDonald’s policies and values.’
Mr Easterbrook, from Watford, was sacked last November for having a relationship with a female co-worker.
The 53-year-old divorced fatherof-three is now being sued by McDonald’s, who want his £32million severance package returned, claiming he lied about relationships with three other staff. He is fighting the legal action.
The new chief executive, Chris Kempczinski, is ‘committed to leading with integrity’, a company spokesman said.
Mr Fairhurst, thought to still live in Chicago, did not respond to requests for comment through his new HR company.
Nobody from the tech and employment companies where he now works as an adviser was available for comment. Mr Easterbrook’s lawyers did not return a request for comment.
‘Inappropriate physical contact’