Currently: President and CEO, McDonald's
Before he took over as CEO of the fast-food giant on July 1, Thompson established himself as a world-class operating chief, running some 33,500 restaurants around the globe for more than two years. He was a key player in the U.S. McCafé launch, the company's largest in more than 35 years, which has generated more than $125,000 in additional annual sales per store. The Chicago native (he was raised near the old Cabrini-Green housing project) has a reputation for putting the needs of the company ahead of his own: When McDonald's announced in March that he would succeed longtime CEO Jim Skinner, Thompson stayed out of the spotlight, declining interviews out of respect for his boss.
--Beth Kowitt
We invited readers to draft their own roster, and asked management experts and sitting CEOs to weigh in too. Here are the results of our first online fantasy game.
