Lovin’ AI: Exploring the global governance strategy driving the McDonald’s expansion

When is a fast food company not just a fast food company?

The answer: When they’re also a real estate and technology behemoth.

McDonald’s doesn’t just serve food to 69 million people across 115 countries. “They have the largest real estate portfolio in the world,” Expleo Information Technology Management Consultant David Tischler says. “They’re also a technology company.”

The fast food giant determines where to open its next restaurant by anticipating where its customers will be. But the strategy is anything but slapdash, David explains. “They’re putting technology into every aspect of the customer journey. They have one of the largest loyalty programs in the entire world. They need to know who the customer is, what their preferences are, and how to maximize lifetime value.”

As a longstanding Collibra partner, Expleo has worked with McDonald’s for the last three years on implementing data governance and AI governance to drive the company’s expansion. Two McDonald’s leaders behind the project, Director of Enterprise Data Governance John Tucker and Senior Manager of Global Data Governance Stephanie Giardina, stopped by Data Citizens 2024 to reveal the secrets of their playbook.

The importance of AI governance cannot be overstated. Learn more about it here.