From Oz, Shaking Up A U.S. Icon

By Maggie Sieger/Chicago

Charlie Bell likes results--now! The McDonald's president and COO won't wait for outdated weekly, much less quarterly, sales reports. Every day he checks sales totals in all 118 countries with McDonald's franchises. "I'm a results guy," says Bell, 43. "I like knowing." The Australian-born Bell joined the company's new management team when James Cantalupo became CEO early this year. That means Bell is in line to eventually become the first non-American to head the iconic U.S. company.

Bell isn't the long-shot candidate he might seem. Growing up in a blue-collar Sydney suburb, he helped out his father's travel business by playing passenger when tour buses weren't full. He got his first real job at 15 at the Kingsford McDonald's, became the youngest store manager Down Under at 19 and was managing director of McDonald's Australia by 35. Bell went on to run the company's Asia-Pacific and Europe operations before becoming COO last January.

With his interest in marketing, Bell has already helped freshen McDonald's image. He worked on the global "I'm lovin' it" ad campaign, and has pushed U.S. restaurants to revise their traditional menu in favor of more edgy offerings like premium salads and the new McGriddles. Bell's goals: "To reconnect with customers all around the world and keep the brand forever young." The approach may be working: McDonald's share price has doubled since hitting an eight-year low in March. --By Maggie Sieger/Chicago