CEO's Death Forces Change at McDonald's
McDonald's Corp. Chief Executive Jim Cantalupo died suddenly of a suspected heart attack Monday, cutting short his successful 16-month campaign to restore sales and profit growth at the world's largest restaurant chain. Authorities said Mr. Cantalupo, 60 years old, died while being rushed to a hospital early Monday morning after collapsing in his hotel room in Orlando, Fla.
Less than six hours after Mr. Cantalupo's death, the McDonald's board named 43-year-old Charlie Bell to the top job. The vote occurred in a hastily arranged meeting of directors, many of them gathered in Orlando for a large convention of owners and operators of McDonald's restaurants. By 9:30 a.m., when Mr. Cantalupo had been scheduled to make opening remarks at the convention, Mr. Bell already had succeeded him as chief executive. (See article on page B1.)
McDonald's had planned for Mr. Bell eventually to replace Mr. Cantalupo, who came out of retirement in late 2002 to try to reverse a long slide in the company's financial performance. Mr. Cantalupo quickly did so by demanding better service, introducing healthier items such as salads and slowing the opening of new restaurants -- all moves that brought dramatic improvement. McDonald's net income for 2003 rose to $1.471 billion from $893.5 million in 2002.
Big challenges remain for Mr. Bell. The fast-food industry increasingly is under attack from nutritionists, plaintiffs' lawyers and others who say it is partly to blame for the nation's obesity epidemic. The industry's pervasiveness has created another problem: Raising prices has become more difficult because of the glut of competing fast-food outlets.
At 3:11 a.m. Monday, deputies from the Orange County Sheriff's office received a call from security at the Peabody Hotel, where Mr. Cantalupo was staying, said Cpl. Carlos Porres, a spokesman for the department.
Arriving at the hotel, the deputies found Mr. Cantalupo unresponsive in his hotel room and tried performing CPR. He died in an ambulance taking him to Sandlake Hospital in Orlando. He was pronounced dead at 4:53 a.m. Heart medication was found at the scene, Cpl. Porres, said, adding that he didn't know exactly what medication was in the room or who found Mr. Cantalupo.
The Orange County Medical Examiner's office said Mr. Cantalupo's cause of death was "most probably cardiac related," and the manner of death was "natural." The Medical Examiner's office declined to say whether an autopsy would be performed there, or at all.
McDonald's officials said the board executed a succession plan that was already in place. Under that plan, Mr. Bell rose to chief executive from the positions of president and chief operating officer. Replacing Mr. Cantalupo as chairman is Andrew McKenna, 74, the board's presiding director. Mr. McKenna became a McDonald's director in 1991 and is the chairman and CEO of Schwarz Paper Co., a producer of packaging materials that sells tray liners and french-fry bags to McDonald's.
In 4 p.m. New York Stock Exchange composite trading Monday, McDonald's stock fell 71 cents, or 2.6%, to $26.75.
During his 16 months as chief executive, Mr. Cantalupo executed the most dramatic turnaround in McDonald's history. Doing so was especially gratifying for him because he initially was passed over for the top job, back when that post was handed to Jack Greenberg in 1998. Mr. Cantalupo had excelled at one McDonald's post after another since 1974 -- most notably, accelerating its expansion abroad -- and he didn't hide his resentment about losing out to Mr. Greenberg, a fellow former auditor at Arthur Young & Co.
When the board brought him back to replace Mr. Greenberg in December 2002, Mr. Cantalupo began undoing some of the more high-profile projects his predecessor had set in motion. One of the first changes was to pull the plug on a $1 billion technology project, code-named Innovate, that Mr. Greenberg had envisioned as a global digital network linking 30,000 McDonald's restaurants to headquarters and vendors.
"We know we need to make changes," Mr. Cantalupo said soon after his return. But, he added, "We don't intend to throw capital at problems."
Mr. Cantalupo won applause on Wall Street for slashing capital spending by 40%, putting the brakes on what many analysts regarded as runaway expansion of restaurants and by paying a significantly fatter dividend.
At the same time, Mr. Cantalupo and his team addressed mounting customer complaints by speeding up drive-through service and seeing that surly employees were disciplined. Efforts to improve the taste of McDonald's burgers, by tinkering with their seasoning, also got a push from the new boss.
So did premium salads. They would become an immediate hit and help McDonald's sluggish U.S. operations regain momentum -- even though the company was copying rival Wendy's on the lettuce-and-tomato front.
The salad offensive was part of Mr. Cantalupo's strategy to blunt attacks on McDonald's as a purveyor of unhealthy food. Just last week, senior company executives joined U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson in Washington to announce they were enlisting in the fight against obesity.
Under Mr. Cantalupo, McDonald's promoted entree salads while eliminating "super size" french fries and soft drinks. The company took these actions amid the twin threat of more lawsuits filed on behalf of obese consumers trying to shift the blame to burger sellers and potential government regulation of fast-food fare.
McDonald's has also been bracing for the release of "Super Size Me," a documentary about the detrimental effects of the filmmaker's decision to eat only McDonald's fare for an entire month. Today, McDonald's is launching "Go Active!" -- a fitness campaign featuring Bob Greene, television talk-show host Oprah Winfrey's former exercise trainer.
That Mr. Cantalupo died apparently from heart disease won't help the company in its push to alter an image of selling unhealthy food. He often boasted about his love of cheeseburgers. But it isn't at all clear that Mr. Cantalupo's diet had any connection to his death.
Sadness in Orlando
Outside the Orlando convention center, where the once-every-two-years meeting of McDonald's owners and operators proceeded despite Mr. Cantalupo's death, attendees expressed sadness and concern. Karen Cocozolli, who owns three McDonald's outlets in Philadelphia, shuddered at the thought that the late chairman's death could become fuel for critics of McDonald's fat-heavy menus. "We don't need any more of that," she said.
It's critical that Mr. Bell show "leadership right away," said Jim Mangell, a Canadian franchisee. "We have been through a turnaround, and now we don't want to lose momentum."
The momentum under Mr. Cantalupo was dramatic. In January 2003, a month after he took charge, the company reported the first quarterly loss in its 38 years as a public company. Then, in the second quarter of last year, same-store sales jumped 4.9%, the biggest growth rate in five years. During Mr. Cantalupo's tenure, McDonald's restaurants reported 11 consecutive months of same-store sales increases. Its stock price climbed from $15.02 on April 17, 2003 to a 52-week high of $29.98 on March 5.
Yesterday, analysts widely reaffirmed their "buy" rating of McDonald's stock and expressed confidence in Mr. Bell's ability to continue turning the company around.
Overseas Success
That confidence arises largely from Mr. Bell's strong performances in his previous posts as head of various overseas markets -- first Australia, then Asia, then Europe. The model market in the global McDonald's system is considered to be Australia, an operation that Mr. Bell is credited with having built up. Under his watch in Europe, sales recovered from the devastation of fears over mad-cow disease. Besides boosting efficiency, Mr. Bell has shown a knack for restaurant design. In Australia, where he was born and raised, he invented a coffee shop called McCafe, which McDonald's is slowly spreading around the globe.
Mr. Bell's strong performance in these markets prompted Mr. Cantalupo to pick him as his successor. A McDonald's employee since age 15, when he began flipping burgers, Mr. Bell nonetheless has spent a relatively brief time learning about the core U.S. business, having worked most of his 28 years with the company outside the U.S.
"Charlie Bell has worked side by side with Jim during these past 16 months to revitalize McDonald's all over the world," McDonald's said in a statement. "He is ideally suited and prepared to continue Jim's remarkable focus and discipline on our business." Mr. Bell wasn't available for comment.
He is expected to take his time choosing his own first lieutenant. The prime candidates are considered to be Mike Roberts, president of McDonald's USA, and Claire Babrowski, chief restaurant-operations officer. Mr. Roberts, 53, joined the company as a regional purchasing manager in 1977 and served as head of the company's western division. Ms. Babrowski, 46, joined the company as a restaurant worker in 1974 in Ottawa, Il., and was most recently president of McDonald's Asia/Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.
掌门人撒手人寰，麦当劳面临挑战
麦当劳(McDonald's Corp.)董事长兼首席执行长吉姆?坎塔卢波(Jim Cantalupo)周一因心脏病突发辞世。在其任职的短短16个月期间，他成功令这家全球最大餐饮连锁店的销售和利润恢复了增长势头。有关部门称，现年60岁的坎塔卢波周一早晨在其下榻的佛罗里达州奥兰多一家酒店的房间内突然发病，随后在送往医院的途中不治身亡。
在坎塔卢波离世后不到6小时，麦当劳董事会便在随即召开的紧急会议上作出决定，任命43岁的查理?贝尔(Charlie Bell)接替他的首席执行长职务。当时麦当劳董事齐聚奥兰多与麦当劳店业主和特许经营商共同举行大型会议。上午9点30分，即原定坎塔卢波致会议开幕辞的时间，贝尔已经接替了坎塔卢波的职务。
最终让贝尔接替坎塔卢波担任公司首席执行长本就是麦当劳的既定计划。坎塔卢波原已退休，但在2002年年底重回麦当劳帮助公司扭转财务状况长期下滑的局面。坎塔卢波很快达成了目标－－他提高了麦当劳服务要求，推出了极品沙拉等健康食品，同时放缓了新店扩张步伐，这些举措令麦当劳取得了显著成果。公司净利润迅速从2002年的8.935亿美元增长到了2003年的14.71亿美元。
坎塔卢波撒手西去，给贝尔留下的是巨大的挑战。快餐行业日益受到批评攻击，批评者包括营养学家、原告律师以及那些将美国肥胖人群增多归咎于快餐的人士。同时，快餐店的日益普及也产生了另外一个问题－－伴随竞争对手的快速涌现，上调餐品价格的难度日益加大了。
橘郡(Orange County)警署的发言人称，周一凌晨3点11分，该办公室副警长收到了坎塔卢波下榻的Peabody酒店保安人员的一个电话。
在抵达酒店后，副警长发现坎塔卢波躺在酒店房间里面已经没有了反应，他们尝试给坎塔卢波做心脏起搏但没有取得明显效果，结果坎塔卢波在前往医院的救护车上停止了呼吸。早晨4点53分，他被正式宣布死亡。警署发言人称，现场发现了用于心脏病的药物，发言人还说他并不清楚当时房间里有什么药以及谁发现了坎塔卢波。
橘郡医检官办公室称，导致坎塔卢波死亡可能性最大的原因是心脏出现问题，性质属"自然"死亡。医检官办公室拒绝就是否验尸的问题作出回答。
麦当劳高层人士称，董事会执行了公司的接班人计划。根据该计划，总裁兼首席营运长贝尔将升任首席执行长，接替坎塔卢波董事长职位的是现年74岁的董事会首席董事安德鲁?麦肯纳(Andrew McKenna)。麦肯纳于1991年成为麦当劳董事，现在是Schwarz Paper Co.的董事长兼首席执行长。Schwarz Paper是一家包装材料制造商，为麦当劳提供餐盘垫和薯条袋等产品。
在坎塔卢波担任首席执行长的16个月期间，他实现了麦当劳历史上一次最大规模的复苏。这一点让他尤其感到满足，因为他最初曾与这一职位擦肩而过。那是1998年的事情，当时杰克?格林伯格(Jack Greenberg)坐上了麦当劳首席执行长的宝座。自1974年开始－－麦当劳从此时起加快了海外扩张步伐－－坎塔卢波在麦当劳的不同职位上都表现出超越他人的能力，他对杰克?格林伯格赢得首席执行长颇有微词，对此他并不隐讳。格林伯格原是安永(Arthur Young & Co.)的一名审计师。
麦当劳董事会于2002年12月请坎塔卢波重新出山取代格林伯格。坎塔卢波就此开始对其前任大肆推崇的一些项目进行整顿。在首批整顿项目中，他叫停了一个耗资10亿美元、代号为"创新"(Innovate)的科技项目。格林伯格对该项目的设想是建立一个全球数字网络，实现麦当劳30,000家餐厅和总部以及供货商的全面链接。
坎塔卢波在复出后不久就表示，"我们知道需要作出改变，但是我们不打算将资金扔到问题堆里。"坎塔卢波将麦当劳的资本支出削减了40%、对分析师认为已有失控之虞的大肆扩张采取刹车手段、大幅增加了股息支付数额，这些举措赢得了华尔街的广泛赞誉。
与此同时，坎塔卢波和他的团队通过提高服务速度和加强员工纪律而解决了大量的客户投诉。坎塔卢波还推动执行以调味品改进麦当劳汉堡口味的计划。 麦当劳的沙拉也进行了改变，并迅速成为热销产品，这帮助麦当劳重新赢得了美国市场－－尽管该公司的莴苣叶加番茄的沙拉制作方式仿效了其竞争对手Wendy's。
有些人攻击麦当劳是不健康食品的提供者，而坎塔卢波发起的沙拉攻势就是挫败这种言论的一个策略。就在上周，该公司数位高层人士与美国卫生部部长汤姆?唐普逊(Tommy Thompson)在华盛顿一道宣布向肥胖宣战。
在坎塔卢波的领导下，麦当劳促销其极品沙拉，同时取消了超大号薯条和饮料。该公司在采取这些举动的时候面临著双重威胁：代表肥胖消费者提起的针对汉堡销售商标的诉讼；政府可能对快餐行业的运营实行监管。
麦当劳还准备迎接"Super Size Me"纪录片放映带来的挑战，该纪录片讲述电影制作人一个月中全部以麦当劳食品为食的危害。
现在，麦当劳正推出以鲍伯?格林(Bob Greene)为主角的"Go Active!"健身活动，鲍伯?格林是著名电访谈节目主持人奥普拉?温弗莉(Oprah Winfrey)的前健身教练。
坎塔卢波死于心脏病实在不利于麦当劳为改变销售不健康食品形象所进行的努力。坎塔卢波常常向人炫耀，他是干酪汉堡的忠实拥蔟者。但是现在尚不清楚坎塔卢波的死因是否和他的饮食有关。
在奥兰多会场中心外面，与会人员对坎塔卢波的辞世表示难过和担忧。这个麦当劳业者和经营者两年一度的会议未因坎塔卢波的死而中断。凯伦?考可祖里(Karen Cocozolli)在费城拥有3家麦当劳店，她对于坎塔卢波的死可能会给麦当劳批评人士以攻击把柄的想法不寒而栗。她说，"千万不要再有这样的攻击了。"
加拿大特许经营商吉姆?曼吉尔(Jim Mangell)说，"贝尔立即接过领导权非常重要，我们已经看到了业务的好转，我们不想失去这一势头。"
坎塔卢波给麦当劳带来了巨大的转变。2003年1月，即坎塔卢波上任一个月后，麦当劳公布了公司上市38年来的第一次季度亏损。到去年第二季度，公司同店销售增长了4.9%，为5年来最高增幅。在坎塔卢波任期内，麦当劳同店销售额连续11月增长。其股价从2003年4月17日的15.02美元上涨至今年3月5日29.98美元的52周高点。
周一，分析师普遍重申了对麦当劳股票的"买进"评级，并表示对贝尔维持该公司好转势头的能力具有信心。
这在很大程度上来源于贝尔以前担任数个海外市场负责人时的优秀表现。他曾经先后担任澳大利亚、亚洲和欧洲市场的负责人。在麦当劳全球体系中，澳大利亚市场被认为是一个典范，这是贝尔一手缔造起来的一个市场。在任欧洲市场负责人期间，麦当劳销售额从疯牛病带来的沉重打击中复苏。贝尔除了显示出提高效率的才能外，还对餐馆设计非常在行。在他出生和成长的澳大利亚，他创造了名为McCafe的咖啡店，麦当劳正将这一咖啡店逐步推广至全球的连锁店。
正是贝尔在这些市场的优秀表现使得坎塔卢波挑选了他作为继承人。贝尔自15岁起就为麦当劳工作，但是他了解麦当劳核心美国业务的时间仍相对较少，他在麦当劳的时间有28年是在海外公司度过的。
麦当劳在一份声明中称，在过去的16个月当中，贝尔与坎塔卢波并肩在全球范围内重振麦当劳的业务。他是理想人选，他将继续推行坎塔卢波的业务发展策略。
预计贝尔将花一段时间挑选他自己的第一副手。主要候选人有麦当劳美国业务总裁麦克?罗伯兹(Mike Roberts)和首席餐馆营运长克莱瑞?巴布罗斯基(Claire Babrowski)。现年53岁数的罗伯兹1977年加入麦当劳，当时任地区采购经理，此后他担任过麦当劳西方业务的负责人。现年46岁的巴布罗斯基1974年起在麦当劳从一个餐馆工人做起，任现职之前，她曾担任过亚太、中东和非洲业务的总裁。
