Jan Fields

Jan Fields is an American business executive, who has served as president of McDonald's USA and who has served on the board of directors for numerous corporations. Fields held every role in the management chain of McDonald's, beginning as a crew member, before becoming the president of McDonald's USA. She was recognized by Forbes Magazine in 2012 as one of the most powerful women in business and she was listed on The Wall Street Journal's 50 Women to Watch list. Fields never completed college.

Career

McDonald's Fields started her career in the McDonald's corporation as a crew member at a McDonald's restaurant in Dayton, Ohio, in 1978. Fields applied to McDonald's on a whim after stopping at a McDonald's to get a soda while running early to another job interview. In August of 2006, she was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer of McDonald's USA, which made her both the first woman to be COO of McDonald's USA and the highest ranking female executive at McDonald's. As COO, Fields was tasked with accommodating the company growth caused by McDonald's growing menu while simultaneously maintaining customer service. after the McDonald's Corporation saw its first monthly same-store sales decrease in nine years since March of 2003. In 2007, Fields joined the board of chairs of Catalyst, a nonprofit that builds workplaces for women. Fields is also a member of its executive committee, and since 2015, she has served as the chair of the nominating and governance committee of Chico's FAS Inc. While serving Chico's, Fields has aimed to recruit diverse board members for the corporation, despite noting the struggle to obtain such candidates, because "there is more competition when companies are seeking diverse candidates."

Fields also served on the board of directors of Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. from 2017 to 2018, and was nominated as its chairperson from August 2017 to February 2018. While she served as chairperson, Fields played a major role in their acquisition of Arby's in 2018.

In 2018, Fields was nominated to Welbilt Inc.'s board of directors, and she has served as a member of its nominating and governance committee and its compensation committee. From January 16, 2019, until 2020, Fields served on the board of directors of Taubman Centers, Inc. In 2020, Fields was appointed to serve on the board of directors of Alimentation Couche-Tard.

Fields has also been serving on the global board of directors for the Ronald McDonald House Charities Global Brand since 2012.

Nominations Fields has been featured on numerous business focused media, including Forbes' list of The World's 100 Most Powerful Women, Fortune's 50 Most Powerful Women in Business list, The Wall Street Journal's 50 Women to Watch list, and Crain's Chicago Business' list of 25 Women to Watch.