Expect the Unexpected: Francesco Zuffo’s Journey Bridging People and Operations

Good morning, Francesco, can you walk us through your early career steps?

Depends on how much time you have, my reputation as chatterbox precedes me :)! Well, although graduated in psychology, the choice of my first job was guided by my passion for motorcycles and I joined the recruitment team of a braking systems company. Here I discovered my talent for insistence and persuasion as I managed to find an excuse to visit every day the production sites. Later I joined an energy company during their expansion phase in Italy and I helped defining and implementing all People processes from scratch. After all was settled, I felt there was no challenge in my role, but I still had a lot to learn. So, when I was contacted for a field role at McDonalds, I immediately saw a new challenge and new sector to learn all about.

This curiosity about processes and operations of companies still motivates and characterises me today. I believe that if I want to play a meaningful role in an organization, I must speak the language of my colleagues and become a valuable voice at the decision making table.

What brought you to Burger King Restaurants Italia and QSRP?

You probably recognize a pattern by now: after 3 years at McDonald's, I had fallen into a routine and decided to change. That’s when I joined Burger King Restaurants Italia.

By the time I joined, the idea of QSRP started to flourish and after a few years QSRP was created. This gave me the privilege to be part of the evolution of QSRP, from start-up to its current consolidation and scale-up phase. With the onset of QSRP, my life took a turn within Burger King. Once QSRP was set, being part of a Group gave me the opportunity to team up with the HR teams across QSRP Brands and countries. Joining forces allowed us to successfully give shape to the many and diverse people agenda elements in the Group.

Why do colleagues say you have become the master of fast-food operations?

Sometimes I think of operations as a videogame: overcoming challenges, playing in teams, strategizing and thinking out of the box. My habit of getting to know the knitty-gritty of how fast-food restaurants work, and ability to enjoy it, made me quite an expert of the industry.

In the end of the day, I think operations and HR are very connected. Operations are inherently people-centric, and my job is mainly about understanding the individuals who keep the company up and running. To be a valuable contributor and colleague, I prioritize a deep understanding of operations, economics and business of a company.

Your career shows that you are inclined towards change, so what is keeping you in BKRI and QSRP?

Eight years after being here, there is nothing pushing me to look for change, as I evolve right here every day. I've witnessed the growth of this Group from 10 to 6000 employees, from 100 to 1300 restaurants, and into an organization that keeps bringing novelties to the table. Each day at work presents new challenges and opportunities that make me discover new motivations.

Maybe the patience of my colleagues also plays a role...! We sometime have an “agree to disagree” relationship where they feel open to rein me in when I get carried away, yet somehow follow my unconventional ideas! In fact, I am also given significant responsibilities to contribute to the development of the second-largest restaurant chain in the world. This company keeps entrusting me with a lot and allows me to remain curious and innovate my work.

Being part of QSRP opens the doors to projects that especially thrive with teamwork. With my colleagues across QSRP, we are able to create initiatives we couldn’t by ourselves: we generate enthusiasm, results, and keep shaping the future of this Group together.