Fed: Wannabe boss now McDonald's head honcho

AAP General News (Australia)
04-20-2004
Fed: Wannabe boss now McDonald's head honcho

By Rhys Haynes

SYDNEY, April 20 AAP - When flipping burgers in a suburban Sydney McDonald's restaurant
at age 15, Australian Charlie Bell used to tell everyone "how to run the company".

Now he does.

Mr Bell, who began his career at McDonald's in 1971 sweating over the grill, was today
appointed chief executive and president of McDonald's International.

His elevation followed the sudden death last night of his predecessor Jim Cantalupo,
60, of a suspected heart attack.

United States-based Mr Bell, the first non-American to fill the role, is now responsible
for the company's 30,000 restaurants in 118 countries.

McDonald's Australia boss Guy Russo, who began his career with Mr Bell at the age of
15, said the pair started out at the chain's Kingsford restaurant in Sydney's east.

Mr Russo said he and Mr Bell would often tell their fellow staff how to run the company.

"There were a lot of people who were older than us - when we were about 16 we were
telling everyone how to run the company at that age - who) thought we would one day,"

he told Sydney radio 2UE today.

"I think both our parents were in shock, they would much rather us have done something else.

"(But) if you like what you do you continue to do it, sometimes you look outside but
we just love what we do," Mr Russo said.

Mr Bell progressed quickly through the ranks, becoming Australia's youngest store manager
at age 19 and a vice president eight years later.

In 1993, he was appointed managing director of McDonald's Australia and headed up the
firm's Asia-wide operations in 1999.

He was then president of McDonald's Europe, where he was responsible for the region's
6,000 restaurants.

Before his appointment to the top job today, Mr Bell was the company's international
president and chief operating officer.

In announcing the death of Mr Cantalupo, McDonald's International said Mr Bell was
ideally suited to the position.

"Charlie Bell has worked side by side with Jim during the past 16 months to revitalise
McDonald's all over the world," the company said in a statement.

"He is ideally suited and prepared to continue Jim's remarkable focus and discipline
on our business."

Former McDonald's Australia chairman Peter Ritchie was the company's managing director
in 1971 when he first met Mr Bell at the Kingsford restaurant.

Mr Ritchie, now deputy chairman at the Seven Network, said Mr Bell had always shown
leadership, even as a young worker.

"He was ready to tell us how the place should have been run from 15 years of age onwards,"

Mr Ritchie said.

"He said it in a pretty arrogant sort of a way, I'd have to admit, but he did know
what he was talking about."

"Mr Bell is the sixth CEO appointed to the world's largest restaurant company.

AAP rh/lb/de

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