Das Dasgupta Named Global Chief Data Analytics & AI Officer at McDonald’s

McDonald’s Corporation has announced the appointment of Das Dasgupta, PhD, as its new Global Chief Data Analytics and AI Officer, a move that highlights the fast-food giant’s determination to elevate data and artificial intelligence into the heart of its global strategy. In this newly created senior leadership role, he will be responsible for shaping and executing McDonald’s global vision for using data and AI to transform operations, optimize supply chains, strengthen digital platforms, and deliver richer customer experiences. He has already outlined a vision that includes creating what he calls “Moneyball teams,” agile groups designed to deliver early, high-impact wins in both restaurants and digital channels, while also laying down the long-term scalable foundations of AI across the company.

His early focus will be on building infrastructure that empowers employees and partners to maximize the value of data, ensuring that AI becomes not an isolated experiment but a core part of how the company functions. By placing AI at the centre of its strategy, McDonald’s is signalling that digital transformation will be as critical to its future growth as menu innovation and global expansion.

Dasgupta brings to McDonald’s more than twenty-five years of experience in data, analytics, AI, supply chain optimization, and digital transformation, spanning multiple industries and continents. His academic background is equally strong, with dual PhDs in Operations Research and Management Science from Penn State University.

Over the years he has worked at some of the world’s largest and most innovative companies, including Amazon, McKinsey & Company, Ernst & Young, Viacom, and Saatchi & Saatchi. At these organizations he focused on helping businesses use advanced analytics and AI to reimagine operations and strategy.

He has also spent time as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, where he teaches graduate-level courses on data sciences, operations, and advanced analytics. This combination of industry practice and academic leadership further cements his credentials as both a practitioner and a thought leader in the field.

Most recently, Dasgupta served as Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Starbucks, a role he took on in mid-2024. At Starbucks, he played a central role in expanding the company’s ability to harness analytics and AI across its operations, from marketing and personalization efforts to supply chain optimization and customer engagement.

His move to McDonald’s represents a significant shift, not only because of the scale involved but also because of the unique operational and competitive challenges McDonald’s faces. Unlike Starbucks, which has invested heavily in digital customer personalization, McDonald’s operates a far larger and more complex global footprint with tens of thousands of locations across diverse markets.

His appointment comes at a moment when global quick service restaurant brands are under mounting pressure to innovate not only in menu and marketing but also in technology and digital infrastructure. Competitors are rapidly embracing AI to optimize everything from delivery routes to customer loyalty programs, and McDonald’s clearly intends to stay ahead of the curve.

Dasgupta’s presence in the C-suite sends a strong signal that the company views data and AI not as back-office support functions but as strategic levers that will shape the future of the brand. The practical implications of this could include highly personalized offers and menus on the McDonald’s app, more efficient and predictive supply chains that reduce waste, smarter energy and staffing systems in restaurants, and better insights into shifting consumer preferences in real time.

There are, however, formidable challenges ahead. Integrating legacy systems across different regions, creating a unified view of customer and operational data, and ensuring compliance with varying data protection laws will not be easy. Scaling AI in a responsible manner also requires addressing fairness, transparency, and security, particularly as AI systems begin to influence decisions that affect millions of customers daily.

McDonald’s will need to balance the speed of delivering early wins with the caution required to avoid missteps that could undermine customer trust or operational stability. Dasgupta himself has acknowledged the importance of striking this balance by emphasizing both quick, visible successes and the slower, more difficult work of building long-term foundations.

Dasgupta’s appointment as Global Chief Data Analytics and AI Officer represents more than just a personal career milestone, it is a clear statement of intent by McDonald’s. The company is positioning itself to compete in a world where digital intelligence and analytics are as critical as menu innovation and supply chain efficiency.

His combination of academic expertise, consulting insight, and industry leadership across multiple sectors equips him uniquely for the role. The coming years will reveal whether McDonald’s can successfully embed AI and analytics into the very core of its operations, but with Dasgupta at the helm, the company has signalled that it is ready to make data and AI central to its global growth strategy.