Robert Gibbs, President Obama’s former press secretary, has been hired by McDonald’s as an executive vice president, the company announced Tuesday.
{mosads}Gibbs will be McDonald’s global chief communications officer, focusing on government and public affairs for the world’s largest hamburger chain.
McDonald’s CEO Steve Easterbrook described Gibbs and Silvia Lagnado, hired from Bacardi for marketing, as “highly-respected, talented leaders who will bring a wealth of experience and outside perspective to McDonald’s as we build a more modern, progressive burger company.”
“Returning excitement to our business proposition and brand is foundational to our turnaround plan, and Robert and Silvia — with their respective teams — will play critical roles in bringing this strategy to life,” Easterbrook said in a statement.
Gibbs, who served as press secretary during the first two years of Obama’s presidency, most recently worked at a strategic communications advisory firm he cofounded in 2013 with fellow Obama alum Ben LaBolt.
That firm, The Incite Agency, is “full speed ahead” after Gibbs’s departure and has plans for agency expansion in the near future, LaBolt said in a statement.
Gibbs joins other top former Obama aides who have jumped to the private sector in recent years, including his successor as press secretary, Jay Carney, who joined Amazon earlier this year to lead global corporate affairs.
Former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe was recently promoted to the board of Uber. He joined the ride-hailing company last fall.