Marian Alecu resigned as managing director of McDonald’s Romania after heading the restaurant chain’s operations in the country for 12 years, for “pursuing own ventures”, after his resignation takes effect on October 1. Karen Bishop, with 28-year experience with the group, has been appointed to succeed Alecu.

“I think that working 16 years in a system is too long. I’ve reached a stage of saturation. I am the longest-serving manager of the company in Europe. I am grateful to the company, I learned a lot from it, I remain attached to the brand but I am determined to pursue my own ventures. I will provide you with more details in a month or two. For the moment, all I need is rest. It will be a family business, related to a large global brand. It will not be linked to HoReCa”, Marian Alecu (photo) told Wall-Street.

Karen Bishop, COO of McDonald’s Russia & Eastern Europe will take up the new role as managing director of the fast-food restaurant chain in Romania on October 1. She brings a 28-year experience in McDonald’s group.

McDonald’s Romania is the fully-owned subsidiary of McDonald’s Corporation and reported sales of €400 mln last year, 30% more than in 2007.

According to group’s Q1 2009 financial report, global sales increased by 6.1% compared to year-ago quarter.