Mad Mex has promoted its head of operations excellence and solutions, Andrew Shalala, and created two new leadership roles in operations.
Shalala takes on the GM operations role, while Dennis Cuyugan steps up from field trainer to head up corporate operations, and Leanne Macdonald is the new head of franchise operations.
Macdonald’s promotion comes after almost 18 months as head of learning and development. She was previously with McDonald’s for 23 years.
Cuyugan has worked with Mad Mex for more than four years, including two and a half years as a regional operations manager.
Shalala said on LinkedIn “I’m really looking forward to working alongside them and the wider operations team as we continue to support our restaurants, develop our people, strengthen our franchise partnerships and create great, authentic Mexican experiences for our customers.”
Shalala, who was listed this year in the Top 30 Franchise Executives 2026 report, joined Mad Mex in 2023 after three years as national operations manager at Max Brenner. His career includes management at Bunnings, and nearly 12 years at McDonald’s.
