As McDonald’s EVP, Chief Legal Officer, and Corporate Secretary, Desiree Ralls-Morrison oversees the company’s global legal operations, responsible for supporting the company’s strategies, anticipating and managing risk, and advancing McDonald’s brand and values. She also advises both the Board of Directors and the CEO.

Before joining McDonald’s, Desiree spent over three years as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Boston Scientific Corporation. She provided global legal leadership across all its businesses, regions, and functions. Desiree grew and strengthened a high-performing legal team, effectively aligning legal objectives to meet business objectives, and served as a trusted advisor to the leadership team and Board of Directors. Before Boston Scientific Corporation, Desiree served as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at Boehringer Ingelheim USA, Inc., and General Counsel of the Consumer Group at Johnson & Johnson. She began her career in litigation roles at Kelley Drye & Warren LLP and Shipman & Goodwin LLP.

In 2019, Desiree was named one of the most powerful women in corporate America by Black Enterprise Magazine. In 2020, she was named one of the top innovative General Counsels worldwide by the Financial Times. 

Desiree serves on the Board of Directors for DICK’S Sporting Goods, Inc. and as a Director for The Partnership, Inc., whose mission is to ensure the economic competitiveness of the Boston area by attracting, retaining, and convening professionals of color. Desiree is also a Founding Member of The New Commonwealth Racial Equity and Social Justice Fund in Massachusetts. 

She earned her Juris Doctor from Harvard Law School and her Bachelor of Arts in economics and political science from Wesleyan University.