Phyllis Cheung

Outside of the U.S., China is home to the most McDonald's outlets worldwide, and overseeing them all is Phyllis Cheung, who started off as chief marketing officer of its China unit in 2007 before becoming its chief in 2015. Under her, the chain reached every mainland province in 2025 in 2025, and this year surpassed 8,000 restaurants. The chain still opens roughly 1,000 outlets a year, nearly half of McDonald's global new stores, and is en route to 10,000 stores by 2028.