Executive Bios

George A. Cohon, O.C., O.Ont., B.Sc., J.D., Ph.D. (Hon.)
Founder

George A. Cohon is Founder of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited and Founder of McDonald's in Russia. In addition, Mr. Cohon is the Founder of Ronald McDonald Children's Charities here in Canada and in Russia.

In 1967, Mr. Cohon moved to Toronto as the Licensee of McDonald's Corporation for Eastern Canada. McDonald's Canadian operations expanded rapidly and in 1971, after McDonald's Corporation reacquired his license, Mr. Cohon became Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited - positions he held until July 1992. Mr. Cohon has played an active and prominent role in numerous charitable organizations. He is the Founder of Ronald McDonald House Charities, both in Canada and in Russia.

Mr. Cohon spearheaded the opening of McDonald's in the former Soviet Union. Negotiations began in 1976, culminating in the opening in 1990 of the first Moscow McDonald's restaurant. Today, Mr. Cohon continues to actively support the Russian operations. Mr. Cohon is also the author of his best-selling autobiography, To Russia With Fries.

John Betts
President
McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada Limited

Mr. Betts began his career with McDonald’s in 1970 as Crew in Southampton, New York and then held numerous roles of increasing responsibility in the areas of operations, field service, training and purchasing throughout the U.S. operation.

In 1993, John was promoted to Vice President in the Greenville Region and in 1995 took on the role of Regional Vice President in Tampa, Florida. He was promoted to Senior Vice President of the Southeast Division of the U.S. business in 1997. In 2000, he relocated to Oak Brook, Illinois to serve as Senior Vice President of U.S. Operations and then Global Operations.

In 2003, John served as General Manager of the Michigan Region and was then named Vice President, National Beverage Strategy, responsible for leading the U.S. business toward contemporary and relevant beverage offerings for consumers.

Throughout his career, Mr. Betts has been recognized as an outstanding contributor, receiving numerous awards, including McDonald’s Way and Team Excellence awards, and the prestigious President’s Award.

Mr. Betts earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Long Island University in 1974. He and his wife, Bridget, have two teenaged children, John and Anastasia.

Len Jillard
Senior Vice President, People Resources and Chief People Officer

Len began his career with the company in 1972 in London, Ontario as a crewperson. He has worked in a number of mid and senior management positions throughout the Canadian operation including Regional Director of People Resources, Toronto. Len also spent 3 years, from 1995-1997, with McDonald’s Mexico as the Senior Director of Operations.

In January 2002, Len became Vice President of the Western Canada Region, overseeing all aspects of the Western Canadian operation.  In 2005, Len was named to his current role as Senior Vice President, People Resources and Chief People Officer, in which he is responsible for carrying out the McDonald’s People Promise to value each and every employee across the country.  Most recently, Len took on the added responsibility of overseeing McDonald’s in Wal-Mart, where he leverages his relationship management skills and strategic business sense to build this area of the business.

Len has always made it a priority to dedicate his time and expertise to McDonald’s charitable efforts, serving on the Ronald McDonald House in London, Ontario for more than seven years and as a member of the Society for Ronald McDonald House Vancouver.

David J. Hederson
Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

David J. Hederson, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Limited, joined the company in July 2003 as Senior Director and Corporate Controller. In his role, Mr. Hederson has overall responsibility for the Finance function, which includes Shared Services, Treasury, Tax, Audit, Insurance, Financial Reporting and Budgeting, as well as Supply Chain Management, Legal and Business Research.

Mr. Hederson has more than 25 years of combined corporate finance and public accounting experience. Following a 10-year public accounting career with PricewaterhouseCoopers, he joined the corporate finance team of The Molson Companies Limited. This led to the role of Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Beaver Lumber Company Limited, a Molson subsidiary. Following the successful sale of Beaver Lumber in 1999, he moved to Arxx Building Products Inc., a specialty building products manufacturer, as their Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

Mr. Hederson is a Bachelor of Commerce graduate of the University of Toronto and obtained his Chartered Accountant designation through the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants.

Brian O’Mara
Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer

Brian O’Mara is Vice President, Chief Marketing Officer for McDonald’s Canada.  In this role O’Mara is responsible for Strategic Planning, Consumer & Business Insights, Menu and Marketing.

O’Mara joined McDonald’s in 1989 and spent his first 11 years working in various US Regional assignments including Greenville SC, Indianapolis IN, Detroit MI, and Chicago IL.  O’Mara also directed the marketing efforts in the Great Lakes Division before joining US National Marketing in 2001.

During his 7 years in US National Marketing, O’Mara led the Alliance Group, the Strategic Planning Function, the Promotions Group, and the Young Adult Marketing Group.

In 2008, O’Mara joined the Global Menu Group, where he assisted the various McDonald’s Area of the World Menu Management Teams with their new product development efforts, prior to relocating to Canada in his current role.

Before joining McDonald’s, O’Mara worked in advertising for a number of large agencies including Leo Burnett, NW Ayer, and Marstellar.

Richard P. Ellis
Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs

As Senior Vice President, Communications and Public Affairs at McDonald’s Canada, Richard Ellis brings more than 20 years of expertise in guiding a multifaceted team in its efforts to foster an open dialogue and build a stronger connection with internal and external stakeholders.

In addition to his leadership of the Communications, Government and Environmental Affairs teams,
Mr. Ellis also serves as President, Ronald McDonald House Charities of Canada (RMHC).

Prior to returning to the Canadian system where he began his McDonald’s career, Mr. Ellis held the position of Vice President, Communications, for McDonald’s USA for three years, where he further elevated his reputation as a strong leader, a great people advocate and a trusted counselor.

Before joining McDonald’s Canada as Vice President in 2003, a position he held for two years, Richard spent 12 years leading the McDonald’s account team for public relations agency, Golin Harris.