Driving Transformation in the F&B Industry: Ina's Leadership Journey

Ina, you have an impressive career behind you. What is your path?

I have always worked in the food industry; A big piece of my career has been in the same company, for more than 19 years, where I covered many positions and had cross-functional responsibilities, both in stores and HQ. Part of those years was also about developing people and being responsible for training. Then I wanted to try a different industry after all those years, but I eventually understood food was my “home”. That’s when I saw the HRBP position open in NORDSEE, and decided to apply. After some time, I gradually took over Talent Management for the entire Nordsee business.

What is your role currently?

I oversee training and talent development at NORDSEE, and I recently took over Employer Branding and Talent Acquisition; at the same time, I support a lot of QSRP Group projects at an international level. I oversee the overall training plan for the Young Graduates, and I’m part of a group transforming HR practices like talent review, performance review process and the creation of a common onboarding.

Locally, Change management is a big piece of my role, trying to inspire with a new culture and model of working. This doesn’t mean twisting the identity of the brand, it is more about empowering with new tools.

You spoke about QSRP growing and having an impact on the brands; tell us more about that

Of course; from an HR/people point of view, there is a lot of focus on talent development and attraction. On a more general level, there is a strong commitment to improving processes and creating an international network.

Going back to change management; how are you doing that?

We create a lot of content and events to inform and educate people. Change can happen with strong and trustworthy bidirectional communication between the company and its employees. You must explain the what and the why, and the how. We make sure leadership is highly involved and present.

What is your biggest challenge at the moment?

The speed of the industry is a big challenge and our digital evolution is key. If you create networks and bonds, it is much easier to work together and make things happen. The size of the change (complexity, ways of working, digitalization, business model evolution) added to pandemic effects make everything a bit more challenging but also very intriguing. Doing this by the books wouldn’t work, flexibility and innovative thinking are key every day for current and future success.