McDonald’s handling of ex-CEO scandal gets compliments, criticism
A fresh podcast from the Theranos whistleblower and a new compliance association for Black practitioners get a round of applause from us this week, while a complicated case involving McDonald’s lands the company on both the “Nailed It” and “Failed It” lists.
THIS IS MEMBERS-ONLY CONTENT
You are not logged in and do not have access to members-only content.
If you are already a registered user or a member, SIGN IN now.
Related articles
-
PremiumExperts: Delaware court McDonald’s ruling lowers bar on officer liability
The fiduciary duty of oversight that historically has applied only to directors “applies equally to officers,” including CCOs, the Delaware Court of Chancery explicitly held in its ruling regarding former McDonald’s Chief People Officer David Fairhurst.
-
News BriefMcDonald’s avoids SEC fine for misleading statements related to fired CEO
The Securities and Exchange Commission found McDonald’s violated federal securities law when it failed to fully disclose material factors regarding the firing of former Chief Executive Stephen Easterbrook in 2019.
-
ArticleMcDonald’s claws back $105M severance paid to disgraced former CEO
McDonald’s has agreed to drop its lawsuit against disgraced former CEO Steve Easterbrook, who will return more than $105 million in equity and cash he received upon the termination of his employment in 2019.
More from Opinion
-
OpinionCreating effective compliance messages for specific employee groups
As 2026 arrives, have you considered the efficacy of your compliance messaging efforts? We have all seen these compliance taglines “Speak Up!,” “See Something, Say Something,” “Ethics Matter!”
-
OpinionTeaching the business to speak risk
Compliance professionals understand the value of risk assessments. We conduct them annually, map risks to controls, and present heat maps to the board. But there is a strategic opportunity that many compliance programs overlook: Teaching the business itself to think in the language of risk.
-
OpinionSOX was built for humans. AI doesn’t fit that model.
For more than two decades, assurance and compliance frameworks have rested on a simple assumption: Material decisions are made by people. Post‑Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX) assurance reset worked because it aligned accountability with human behavior. That assumption shapes how internal controls are designed, how accountability is assigned, and how assurance is ...