Before McDonald’s

I was a chartered property surveyor and spent 15 years working in commercial property in Dublin and Belfast. I loved working with teams of people and always had ambitions of having my own business.

My connection with McDonald’s

When studying for my degree, I worked part time in McDonald’s. It was a great way for me to finance my studies and to meet new friends. Back then, I always admired the company’s people-first approach and how it’s always so active in making a difference in its local communities.

What inspired me to become a McDonald’s Franchisee

I always had ambitions of starting my own business and researched various Franchise models. I really admired the values the McDonald’s brand represented, from animal welfare and fairtrade in the supply chain, to its people-first approach. It’s a massive global brand, yet encourages Franchisees to get involved in fundraising initiatives, sponsoring grassroots football and promoting litter awareness. It also has a real growth mindset when it comes to innovation.

Top insight

For me, putting your people first and promoting a culture of respect, inclusion and diversity is critical. The new tech is really exciting, which is crucial for a business with so many crew involved on a day-to-day basis. We’ve invested in giving our people the right training, treating them well and offering the opportunity to develop and grow within the organisation. Happy employees generally results in happy customers! What’s surprised me the most is the incredible volume of sales. We actually broke a UK sales record while we were still recruiting our full complement of crew.

My growth

We have really invested in giving our people the right training, treating them well and offering them the opportunity to develop themselves.