A former student at Watford Grammar School for Boys has been appointed chief executive of McDonald's.

Steve Easterbrook will replace Don Thompson as president and chief executive officer of the global fast food giant this spring.

The 47-year-old Watford FC fan is currently senior executive vice president, global chief brand officer.

In this role, Mr Easterbrook is responsible for all aspects of global brand management including marketing, consumer and business insights, and menu development.

After leaving Watford Grammar School for Boys, Mr Easterbrook studied natural sciences at Durham University. He went on to work as an accountant for PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Mr Easterbrook began with McDonald’s in 1993 as a financial reporting manager in London and went on to numerous restaurant and operations roles.

In 2010, he was promoted to corporate executive vice president, chief brand officer, and later to president, McDonald’s Europe, where he was responsible for the operations of nearly 7,000 restaurants in 39 countries.

In 2011, Mr Easterbrook left the company and became CEO of PizzaExpress LTD, and then CEO of Wagamama Limited .

He returned to McDonald’s in June 2013 and is based in Oak Brook, Illinois.

Even at a young age, he was a McDonald's fan.

He told The Guardian in 2008: "Me and my mate used to go across the park, jump on the Met line to get the tube into Harrow.

"There was a sports shop we always used to go into, and there was a McDonald's. We used to go off with three or four quid in our pocket.

"That would cover our train fare, mooching around Harrow, and going to McDonald's. It was the first time I had shakes and fries."

Mr Easterbrook, who has three daughters, describes himself as a fan of Watford FC on his Twitter account.

His Twitter stream includes a picture of Odion Ighalo travelling home on the train with the match ball after the Hornets' stunning 7-2 win over Blackpool on Saturday.

Watford Observer:

 

There are also pictures of Miguel Layun after he signed from Granada with the statement "The push for automatic promotion continues" and a picture of Elton John after the new stand at Vicarage Road was named after him.

Watford Observer: