Eli Lilly and Company (Eli Lilly), a diabetes care devices company, board has elected Ralph Alvarez as a new board member, effective April 1, 2009. In his role as board member, Alvarez will serve on both the board's finance committee and public policy and compliance committee. He will serve under interim election and will stand for election by Eli Lilly shareholders at the company's annual meeting in 2010.
Alvarez presently serves as president and chief operating officer and director of McDonald’s Corporation (McDonald’s).
In his capacity as president and chief operating officer of McDonald’s since August 2006, Alvarez sets the global strategy and directs operations for the nearly 32,000 McDonald’s restaurants in 118 countries. He joined McDonald’s Corporation in 1994 and has held a variety of leadership positions throughout his career, including president of McDonald’s North America and president and chief operations officer of McDonald’s USA. Before joining McDonald’s in 1994, Alvarez had a lengthy career in the restaurant industry working for Burger King Corporation and Wendy’s International, Inc.
Alvarez currently serves on the president’s Council and the International Advisory Board of the University of Miami, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration in 1976. He is also a member of the board of directors for McDonald’s and KeyCorp.
An active advocate for Ronald McDonald House Charities, Alvarez is a previous president of Ronald McDonald House Charities in Mexico. In addition, he is a member of the board of trustees for Chicago’s Field Museum.
As a member of Eli Lilly’s board, Alvarez “I am very pleased to welcome Ralph Alvarez to the Lilly board,” commented John Lechleiter, Eli Lilly chairman and chief executive officer. “Ralph has demonstrated strong leadership at McDonald’s while overseeing a diverse, global organization. With over 30 years of exceptional service in the food service retailer industry, Ralph truly understands and appreciates the value of building a successful, global customer-focused enterprise. His experience and insights will surely benefit Lilly shareholders as we continue to transform our company and deliver on our mission to provide improved outcomes for individual patients.”