The restaurant manager of McDonald's in Rolleston, Canterbury has been named among its top 1 percent of managers in the world.
Kerri Vickery is the recipient of a 2024 Global Ray Kroc Award, an honour reserved for only the best managers in the business.
McDonald's independent franchisees and regional management nominate managers who "lead by example through their actions and behaviours" and "achieve superior business results", according to the fast-food giant.
The award is named after American businessman Raymond Albert Kroc, who purchased McDonald's in 1961 from the McDonald brothers and served as its CEO from 1967 to 1973. Kroc is credited with the global expansion of the fast-food chain.
This year, 398 managers across 70 markets have been recognised as the top 1 percent of McDonald's restaurant managers worldwide - including two New Zealanders.
Gaurang Patel and Vickery are both recipients of the award in the Australia and New Zealand market, alongside 10 Australian restaurant managers.
Speaking to Star News, Vickery said she began her career at McDonald's 15 years ago as a crew member at the Hillmorton branch, when her daughter was just 10 months old.
Fast-forward to 2023 and both Vickery and her daughter - now 16 - work at the McDonald's in Rolleston.
Vickery joined the team as an assistant manager when it opened in 2013 and was promoted to restaurant manager in 2019. Since then, she has been crowned New Zealand's Restaurant Manager of the Year twice.
In the last 12 months, the Rolleston outlet has won New Zealand McDonald's branch of the year, and its franchisee, Dave Whalley, has been awarded Franchisee of the Year.
Vickery told Star News her next goal is to become a franchisee herself.
