Francesca DeBiase

A pioneer in the integration of supply chain and sustainability, Francesca DeBiase is one of the few Fortune 500 corporate executives who developed and ran combined supply chain and sustainability operations, contributing to McDonald’s standard-setting leadership, recognized by Gartner Supply Chain Masters category.

Francesca has significant Board room experience at McDonald’s, having served as the management representative for the Sustainability and Corporate Responsibility (ESG) Committee of the Board for five years. She also regularly attended full Board of Directors meetings to present strategic plans and supply chain, risk and sustainability focus areas. With a finance background, Francesca is also a qualified audit committee financial expert.

Based on a decade working in Europe, she returned to the US to develop, lead and execute a revitalized sustainability vision that continues to advance McDonald’s environmental leadership. She initiated dialogue with environmental critics to drive industry-wide change, winning endorsement from management, employees, suppliers and franchisees. She also increased Brand Trust scores with stakeholders, NGO’s, and customers to reinforce the integrity and credibility of the brand.

Francesca has more than 30 years of global restaurant and toy supply chain expertise including food, packaging, logistics, construction, real estate and marketing services. Her finance-based approach to supply chain incorporates P&L accountability coupled with traceability and safety, critical to the success of $175 billion market cap leader as well as appreciation for bottom-line interests of franchisees. She managed the COVID-19 crisis without supply chain interruption to McDonald’s 70M daily customers in 37,000 restaurants across 100 countries.

A recognized thought leader, she is frequently asked to participate in important forums, including “What can Cities do to ensure Climate Success” (Metropolitan Planning Council); “Why Private Sector Sustainability is critical for the SDG’s” (Chicago Council on Global Affairs) and “Rethinking the Global Supply Chain” (KPMG M&A and Economic Forum). Media coverage includes Bloomberg TV, NPR and Medium.com.

In addition to her civic engagements, Francesca has focused her efforts on advocacy for women’s empowerment in organizations including The Chicago Network, where she is a board member, and Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain (AWESOME), where she serves on the Corporate Programming Committee. She is also a member of the Belizean Grove.

Francesca has been recognized for her leadership in the industry, the community and service to others, including the Loyola University Chicago Damen Award, the AWESOME Legendary Leadership Award as well as the 2019 Loyola University Chicago Quinlan School of Business Commencement Speaker for undergraduates and graduates.

Francesca received her Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola University of Chicago where she was President of Beta Alpha Psi, the national accounting honor society.