THE CONVERSATION: Michèle Boudria, President and CEO of McDonald’s Canada
The journey from a high school cashier to the corner office is seldom straightforward, yet Michèle Boudria’s path to becoming McDonald’s Canada’s first female CEO reads like a modern parable of grit, growth and passion for hospitality. Starting in 1984 behind the counter at her neighbourhood McDonald’s in Aylmer, Quebec, Michèle could hardly have imagined that four decades later, she would lead the Canadian division of the company she once joined for pocket money and camaraderie.
In a candid conversation with MENU Magazine, Michèle recounts the milestones and challenges that defined her rise—from juggling motherhood with managing a bustling restaurant to navigating McDonald’s operations on a global scale. Her reflections illuminate how adaptability, curiosity, and the willingness to embrace change forged her leadership style. With a firm eye on sustainability, inclusivity, and innovation, Michèle offers a peek behind the curtain of the enduring magic of the Golden Arches and the community and ideas that power its legacy.
MM: If the legend is to be believed, you began your McDonald’s journey in Aylmer, Quebec in 1984. What attracted you to the restaurant and what were your first impressions upon starting?
Michéle Boudria: I started behind the counter as a cashier at the local McDonald’s in my hometown, Aylmer, Quebec. I was in high school at the time. Lots of my friends worked there, so that was my main motivation to work there. That, and to earn a little bit of pocket money.
As I worked my way through high school, I really fell in love with the brand and the broader idea of running a business. Then, while studying Journalism at Algonquin College, I realized I really wanted to pursue
a career with McDonald’s.
MM: That’s a radical shift…
MB: Yes. I spent the majority of my early career in Ottawa. Initially, I took on various roles,
including what we call “field service”, where you support local owner-operators, I worked on the operations side of our business. I worked in training and, as I grew through the organization, I took on more senior roles and worked nationally for McDonald’s Canada. From there, I had the opportunity to take on some global roles. So, with McDonald’s I’ve had the chance to live in Toronto, Vancouver and then Chicago along the way. I even had the opportunity to work internationally as the Managing Director for McDonald’s Netherlands.
In 2022, I came back to Canada and became the President and CEO, which was a really exciting moment.
MM: What aspects of your personality and the McDonald’s brand do you feel led you to make the decisions you did?
MB: I’m very, very comfortable with change and, in some ways, that’s really defined my journey. I’m very comfortable with taking bold risks and seizing the opportunities—and
McDonald’s is absolutely full of them.
I was always very curious as a child, and I have a love of learning. To be perfectly honest, I’ve been a lifetime student of the McDonald’s business and of business overall. I have always been open to change and to taking risks and trying new things, and I think those character traits have helped me grasp all of the opportunities McDonald’s has provided me.
Fairly early on in my career, I was able to see the potential, but I have to be honest—never in a million years did I think I’d become the CEO.
MM: McDonald’s has made significant efforts and investments in enhancing the visibility of the potential growth opportunities for all employees, including hourly and entry-level employees. Was that potential clear to you—or even relevant—when you started?
MB: When people come to McDonald’s they’ll hear, “You can join for a year or for a career.” That’s very clear from the beginning, and McDonald’s also very much encourages us to pursue our education and to follow through on our post-secondary education because all of those learnings and those skills certainly are assets—particularly if an individual wants to be a leader in the McDonald’s business in the future.
I saw the opportunity and the potential early on in my career, and the good news is that leadership saw it in me as well. They were willing to invest, and I also was willing to invest in the business and my own development and learning. There are so many opportunities to learn and develop yourself in our business, and more tools than you can probably imagine. That really appealed to me. And so, fairly early on in my career, I was able to see the potential, but I have to be honest—never in a million years did I think I’d become the CEO.
MM: Looking back, can you identify clear challenges, opportunities and decision points that chapter your career history?
MB: Becoming a mom while I was working in our restaurants was definitely a defining moment in my career. At the time, I was a restaurant manager in Ottawa, and I had a team of about 70 to 80 crew and a management team of ten. That experience has allowed me to become a better leader and to look for ways to create an environment that supports women in operations and other areas of our business and find ways we can address the challenges working mothers face, because I went through it.
I had many people supporting me then, so I know it can be done—but it can’t be done alone.
MM: How has your experience translated into your leadership style and priorities?
MB: A big part has been about sharing how I was able to continue to pursue my career, having the support to continue to grow and be a great mom, supported by my village.
I think that for a lot of women, seeing one of us grow and ascend to the heights of leadership is a real inspiration. Being the first woman in this role, and a mother, I realized the responsibility it comes with and the importance of being able to show that this path can be taken—that you can be a mom, and the work will still get done.
I was one of the founding members of the Women’s Leadership Network in Canada. That was almost 18 years ago. Back then, we spent a lot of time just trying to create a network where we could share tips and tricks and find ways to support one another so we could grow our careers and our families at the same time, without the latter being perceived as a barrier to career progression.
MM: How have your early professional experiences informed your leadership style?
MB: My leadership style has evolved and changed over the years, along with the community and people I’ve worked with.
As a leader, I think it’s incredibly important that you’re adaptive and that you’re able to learn new skills and ways of doing things, and that you understand the needs of the people you’re working with. That’s been really important to me, and my experience working in our restaurants has been invaluable. Early on, I was able to see the impact decisions made by people doing the job I’m in today can have on our restaurant teams as well as on our guests. That has really helped shape me as a leader today, because I’m always asking the question, “What will that look like for our restaurant teams?” or “How will that feel to a guest,” or “How might an owner-operator react to something like this?”, because I’ve had the chance to play most of those roles and I want to make sure I’m asking questions on behalf of all of those folks.
I also would note that things have changed and evolved exponentially in McDonald’s since I’ve worked behind the counter. So, throughout the year, I make sure that I spend time in our restaurants across the country with crew and with operators and that I also interact with our guests. I want to hear directly from people who bring all of our strategies and ideas to life in our restaurants. I think this connection helps me to stay grounded in today’s realities.
I think that for a lot of women, seeing one of us grow and ascend to the heights of leadership is a real inspiration. Being the first woman in this role, and a mother, I realized the responsibility it comes with and the importance of being able to show that this path can be taken—that you can be a mom, and the work will still get done.
MM: Is moving people forward through the organization, from the bottom to the top, the ideal strategy for McDonald’s?
MB: Over the years, the business has changed drastically so you will find a lot of people in our business who have the same amount of tenure as I do, but equally a lot of talent with various experiences across all kinds of other businesses. You’ll also find many people fresh out of school who come with a ton of energy, new ways of looking at things, and new tools and abilities that help us all learn.
MM: We’ve touched on your experience as a woman growing her family while moving up in the company, but would you say it was a challenge rising to where you are as a woman?
MB: Were there challenges? For sure, but I’ve been in this business for 40 years, and I feel very blessed to have been surrounded with as many men who were allies back in the day as there are today in the business. It certainly made me much more aware of the role that I have to play to create an environment where everyone feels like they can bring their best self to work and that they can be who they are, and who they want to be in the workplace.
It’s also why I spend a lot of time with my team investing in our employee business networks making sure that we’re creating opportunities for everyone. One of our five organizational values is inclusion, and we believe that a diverse workforce is critical to the success of our business. Not only do we strive to represent the diverse communities in which we operate, but also to foster an inclusive culture that empowers everyone to reach their true potential.
I’m proud to say that more than 50 per cent of our Canadian management team are women. While there’s still a ton of work to do in this area, we have made some tremendous progress from the time when I started to grow within the organization.
MM: In your view, how has this success changed the company?
MB: I think it’s made us a more attractive employer. These initiatives are truly great programs and help make people more comfortable—they can see we’ve invested a lot of our time and energy. We will always have opportunities to get better, but I would say this is probably one of the areas where I think new employees can see the work we’re doing and may be part of the reason they chose to join the organization.
MM: McDonald’s Canada is committed to sourcing 100% of its primary guest packaging from renewable, recycled, or certified sources by the end of 2025. What steps are being taken to achieve this goal, and how do you plan to engage stakeholders in this sustainability journey?
MB: We are very committed to driving positive impact on the planet across our entire business and our supply chain. We source ingredients like eggs, potatoes, dairy and beef from nearly 50,000 Canadian farms and we’re proud to invest in the Canadian agriculture sector. To us, sourcing great quality food products is incredibly important and doing it domestically is as important. We also know that’s what our guests expect of us. That’s a commitment we’re not going to waiver on.
Globally we have pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. In order to achieve that, we’ve got to collaborate across the entire value chain on programs that reduce emissions and that support the long-term environmental—but also economic—resiliency of the agriculture industry in Canada.
MM: Would you say a restaurant giant like McDonald’s choosing to commit to local sourcing and broader sustainability goals has had a positive, knock-on effect on other industry players?
Working with 50,000 farms is a pretty broad impact on the agriculture industry in Canada and our commitment is unwavering. There are many different ways that you can partner with the industry, and so we were one of the founding members of the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, a group that is focused on championing responsible and sustainable beef practices, but is also committed to driving positive economic, environmental and animal welfare outcomes for the industry. That is very meaningful to both businesses and the agriculture sector in Canada.
We’re in an industry that’s incredibly complex. It’s rapidly evolving, and it can be challenging at times—even for us as a bigger player. If you think about our independent restaurants and the smaller businesses, it has to be even more challenging at times to manage and make the right investments. It’s particularly important right now for us to come together and work together as an industry to make progress, and this is where Restaurants Canada and the leadership they provide can really be helpful to businesses of all sizes within our industry.
MM: As takeout and delivery continue to grow in popularity, sustainable packaging solutions become an ever more pressing issue, particularly so for quick-service restaurants. As a sector leader, how is McDonald’s working with suppliers to further address this challenge?
MB: Our objective is to source 100 per cent of our primary guest packaging from renewable, recyclable and certified sources by the end of 2025. So, we have a very aggressive goal, and it’s one we continue to be very committed to. We’ve been working toward our goal for several years, and the good news is we’re on track to reach it.
As you can imagine, we rely heavily on innovation from our supply chain partners to help us reduce our impact. As an example, we rolled out our four-flap McFlurry® cup this year, which has eliminated the traditional plastic lid. Just that one change will eliminate approximately 75 metric tonnes of single-use plastic from our System. Also, we made the incredibly impactful decision to remove the plastic McFlurry mixing spindle two years ago, which had also served as the spoon, and replaced it with a wooden spoon. Over the past few years, we’ve removed other single-use plastic components like cutlery, stir sticks and straws and have reduced the amount of paper fiber in our McCafé® hot cups. So, lots of work has been done, and there’s lots still to be done.
MM: For what it’s worth, we’re fans of the new McFlurry cup.
MB: Me too. Every time I have a McFlurry—and I admit I had one today—it always makes me smile because I’m glad we were able to make that move.
MM: McDonald’s has been at the forefront of new and fresh marketing initiatives, including collaborations with BTS, Peace Collective, Crocs, and WcDonald’s, not to mention the shift in strategy for the design and production of Happy Meal toys. How important are these initiatives to the overall brand and business strategy?
MB: McDonald’s is fan-led. That’s at our core, and central to the way we approach our menu and our marketing.
We have been building lifelong fandom, and part of that is entrenching ourselves in the ways that our fans across various generations and geographies around the globe experience the world. We’re part of some of the biggest moments in culture, and that culture-focused approach leans into the magic of our brand to delight fans, but in their creative universe.
I hope you saw our holiday advertising with the Grinch—it was spectacular. The reaction from our customers was phenomenal. There were so many layers to it, touching everyone across generations, and consumers really reacted to it in a special way.
The other example I would highlight is the WcDonald’s anime campaign we did in 2024, which was a little outside of our typical campaign, but certainly resonated with a different group of consumers and did
quite well.
We also actively embrace our role in culture. Our Crocs collaboration offered really fun ways to connect with our fans and their love for our McDonaldland characters as well as Crocs. These are great examples of how being fan-led and truly embracing and intersecting with cultural moments is working for us.
MM: What’s really unique about McDonald’s, from a marketing perspective, is the brand’s ability and commitment to having conversations with customers across the demographic spectrum. If you were born in the 70s, 80s or 90s, the brand is still speaking to you as you move through the stages of your life. So, the childhood expectation of “surprise and delight” matures into a deep nostalgia. This is something McDonald’s has not only done exceptionally well but has defined as a brand strategy that is successful in making consumers feel like collaborative stakeholders.
MB: Again, it’s about being fan-led. If you allow yourself to be led by your fans, you will rarely go wrong.
MM: One of the top trends for 2025 and beyond is the emergence of the more health-conscious and clean-label aware consumer. How is McDonald’s Canada addressing evolving consumer preferences, particularly regarding health-conscious choices and dietary needs?
MB: We always want to be a brand that connects with everyone, and we’re always looking at ways that we can evolve, whether it’s our core menu or bringing new items or flavours to our guests that address their needs.
Recent examples of menu innovation I would point to would be our McCrispy, our McWraps, or our Breakfast Wraps that also include a non-meat option.
It’s also about leaning into our fan-led approach, which is why we’ve launched fan-inspired items inspired by the most popular fan hacks. Our Menu Song Remix campaign is a recent example, which featured a song with Lil Yachty, a previous McDonald’s crew member, and Mike Clay. We offered fan-hack menu items like a Surf N’ Turf burger and a Sweet Chili Junior Chicken Burger. In fact, the Sweet Chili Junior Chicken became a permanent item following that campaign, so really, it’s all about listening to our fans and responding accordingly.
MM: So, you’re not so much focused on chasing consumer behaviour trends, as you are on following what fans want, and delivering on those insights?
MB: Exactly.
MM: McDonald’s Canada has a longstanding commitment to community involvement, including support for Ronald McDonald House Charities. The company announced a renewal and expansion of community support in July 2022, including new commitments to supporting families, addressing food insecurity, and helping communities in times of crisis. Can you please share your progress and plans for the next few years?
MB: In order for us to be truly connected to communities, we have to go beyond the food we serve. And so, we’re very committed to living our purpose to feed and foster communities through absolutely everything that we do.
Part of that is supporting families with sick children when they need it most, in moments where their families need to be together. That’s why we’re so proud to be the founding and forever partner of RMHC Canada.
In 2024, we celebrated some pretty significant milestones. On our 30th McHappy Day, we raised a record-breaking $8.9 million dollars in just one day. That allowed us to surpass over $100 million raised since the very first McHappy Day.
Last year, we also celebrated 20 years of our Happy Meal® program, wherein $0.10 from every Happy Meal we sell every day are donated to RMHC. In 20 years of running this program in Canada, we’ve raised more than $100 million dollars through just this program alone.
That doesn’t even cover all of the different ways our corporate staff, owner-operators and restaurant staff activate throughout the entire year to support communities across Canada.
We also help people in need and in times of crisis through partnerships like the ones we have with Food Banks Canada, as well as the Canadian Red Cross.
For example, as part of our holiday Grinch campaign in 2024, we donated 500,000 meals to Food Banks Canada.
And lastly, together with our entire System, we help communities thrive because we’re providing opportunities for employment and for career development.
MM: In closing, I’d like to touch on technology in the foodservice and hospitality space. As automation and digitization play increasingly prominent roles in the foodservice industry, what aspects of the McDonald’s customer experience do you feel are sacred and untouchable human elements?
MB: At our core, McDonald’s is a people business. At the same time, we can’t deny the role of automation and digitization in making our restaurants more efficient as well as helping us connect to our guests.
Technology plays a really important role in how we continue to evolve—in how we serve customers better, how we make our restaurant experience easier and how we make the experience more rewarding for our crew and our managers.
Technology is never going to replace our people and the importance of the hospitality we provide to our guests. One of the things about McDonald’s is, no matter where you are in the world, the Golden Arches are a home away from home—they serve as a beacon, offering familiarity and comfort. For us, that will always be important, and although technology can augment that to make it better, it won’t replace the human element.
Up Close with Michèle Boudria
Your idea of perfect happiness?
Spending time with my family and my dog, Bella.
Your greatest fear?
Heights.
The quality you most admire in people?
Grit. The ability to persevere in the face of challenges and go after long-term goals.
Your greatest extravagance?
Sneakers. Can’t go wrong with a bold pair of Nike Air Maxes.
The McDonald’s character you most identify with?
Birdie.
Your go-to McDonald’s order?
Egg McMuffin + Medium Premium Roast Coffee
Your greatest leadership achievement?
Developing people and helping them reach their potential. I’ve had strong mentors and champions throughout my career, and I always strive to pay it forward by lifting others up. I’m most proud of seeing our people take on new challenges and reach new heights in their careers.
The business legacy you would like to leave?
To have helped people thrive.
