Shefali Kosambia, Global Compensation Manager on Influential Women

Influential Woman · McDonald's

Shefali Kosambia

Global Compensation Manager, McDonald's

Chicago, IL

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Electronics and Communication Engineer Degree Master's in Business Administration specializing in human resource from Symbiosis Institute

Her Story

About Shefali

Shefali Kosambia serves as Global Manager of Compensation at McDonald's, where she is responsible for determining market pay ranges, aligning job descriptions with compensation data from consultants such as Mercer and Willis Towers Watson, and handling case-by-case approvals for exceptional skill sets, sign-on bonuses, merit increases, and bonus computations. She supports global pay transparency initiatives and ensures compensation decisions reflect both market conditions and McDonald's family-oriented values while attracting top talent. An electronics and communication engineer by training, she earned a Master's in Business Administration specializing in human resources from the Symbiosis Institute in India. Her career path includes starting as a management trainee at Capgemini, followed by positions at Anheuser-Busch InBev and Kraft Heinz, accumulating around 10 years of experience before joining McDonald's in June of the previous year at its global headquarters in Chicago's Fulton Market. She attributes her professional journey to a commitment to giving 100 percent effort in the present moment, continuous curiosity and learning, and strong family support.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Shefali

01What do you attribute your success to?

I read a very good book, and that title, I would say, Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish. That's what I am. Like, I want more, but I always have a lot of questions, a lot of curiosity, and that has led me here. The not the title, or not the money, or not, like, where am I? It's just the thing I want to learn more, I want to understand more. That has led me here, and of course my family, who has supported me a lot.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

When I joined as a management trainee, my mentor told me we cannot give you a more strategic role at the time because you just joined. But I love people if you're given a digging of a hole, like, just to dig something, and you do it neatly with your 100%. And that's just stick to me, that whatever I'm doing at the power of now, like, I'm doing whatever now I'm doing, I just want to give my 100% rest falls in place.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

Don't compare, don't rush. Doing your best. And as a woman, you I have a lot to go. I'm a mother now of a very young kid. I had like, every woman, as Indranodi very rightly said, your biological clock and your career clock is very much not in sync, and you feel so left out at times, you feel so much to rush and run, but take a deep breath and just do your best. As I said before, power off now, and things will fall in place. Just don't crush, do your best, and compete with yourself, not with anyone.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I won't say challenges, but it's like in Do you see that everywhere there is our pay range being posted? And then there is an AI entangle, but not an AI can tell you exactly how much needs to be paid, right? It's very angle-oriented, or every person-by-person basis, and the pay range is being posted. People don't have the complete visibility on what a pay range is exactly mean. They'll just take the highest number and they'll ask for it, right? That is second. Everyone wants fast money, so people are, like taking money angle more seriously than they're taking experiences to move forward in their field. Opportunities-wise, I feel like people are getting more, you know exciting about the hourly roles now, part-time roles. They understand the compensation much better than they used to do it before.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

I think, honestly, integrity. Like, even if no one is watching and if you're doing the right thing. That's what matters the most to me. Even if home or whether in your firm, no one is watching you, no one is gonna check on you, but if you're doing it right, it gives you an immense amount of satisfaction and happiness. And my role is to give that happiness to people.

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