Fast food chain McDonald’s on Sunday announced that its president and Chief Executive Officer Steve Easterbrook would no longer continue in his posts after his involvement in a consensual relationship with an employee was revealed, AFP reported.

“Easterbrook...has separated from the company following the board’s determination that he violated company policy and demonstrated poor judgment involving a recent consensual relationship with an employee,” a statement from the company read. There were no other details on whether the former CEO was fired or allowed to resign.

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Easterbrook, who is 52 years old, was at the helm since 2015. “This was a mistake,” Easterbrook said in an email to employees on Sunday, according to Reuters. “Given the values of the company, I agree with the board that it is time for me to move on.”

Easterbrook began working for the company in 1993 as a manager in London. He quit in 2011 to head another fast-food chain Pizza Express, and then Wagamama, an Asian outlet. He returned to McDonald’s in 2013 to head the United Kingdom division and then northern Europe, according to BBC.

Chris Kempczinski took over as president of McDonald’s, replacing Easterbrook. Kempczinski was also included in the board of directors.

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The company said Kempczinski possessed the “right mix of skills and experience” to lead it forward. “...having run our US business, where franchisees are delivering strong financial and operational results, and overseen global strategy, business development and innovation,” the McDonald’s chairman of board of directors Enrique Hernandez Jr said.

Kempczinski thanked Easterbrook for hiring him to the company and said he expected McDonald’s to carry on its customer-focused growth plan.

The company appointed Joe Erlinger president of McDonald’s USA, a post which Kempczinski held.


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