Meet Hala

Hala, when did your journey start at BBB?

I was a fresh graduate when I landed my first job 5 years ago as a paralegal in the Legal department of BBB and it was a good fit for me from the beginning because the job was an extension of college and the place where I could learn valuable skills from the industry's best minds...?And I must say that I have gained a lot of experience in a very short period of time because BBB offered me the space and the opportunity to scale up, to grow as a professional and as a person as well.?

How was this possible?

I have embraced the exciting challenge of being working in an actual one-person legal department as part of the business, also meaning that my job by nature is devoted to handling every kind of legal matter and to interacting with the different departments. The only imperative is to do and be brave to take decisions! This has not only given me the possibility to develop myself professionally, but I also learned and built?experience in various areas and gained detailed understanding of the company's strategic and operational issues.

5 years is a lot – what has changed over the years?

Well, it was a continuous evolution and revolution. The fast-food industry experienced a lot of changes, and its ecosystem and structure are still evolving along with customer habits, real estate, franchising, delivery etc. While this business continues to expand, legal and regulatory matters evolve too which means that the legal department needs to be knowledgeable and prepared to swiftly handle any new challenge. But but you can also see it differently. Changes in law may eventually generate changes in the business, so it is of utmost importance to create a legal framework that offers flexibility for business activities. This requires a learning-for-life mindset and a willingness to embrace changes. So basically, I started following different topics about various areas, which is a great motivator for me as not only have I been able to develop a global perspective, but I have also built critical skills and competencies beyond my knowledge of law.

During your 5 years at BBB, you also saw another big change: QSRP joining in!

Oh yes! That was a big shift. There was this immediate perception of things getting bigger – having a bigger scope, more people to work with and rely on, a lot of new knowledge coming in and new activities to implement. QSR Platform has been able to do this wonderfully. It created for everyone the perception of becoming a part of something else, something more multi-cultural by joining our forces together.?

Did you ?have the opportunity to follow a group project? Tell us more about it.

Yes, I did! Following the adoption of the EU Whistleblower Directive that requires EU-member states to implement a whistleblower system, it was decided at group level to start the preparations long before the implementation across EU jurisdictions. So I was contacted by the Group CAO and the General Counsel who asked me to join this group project since I had already started for Belgium and Luxemburg, and I must say that I was thrilled and delighted to be a part of it. And while I was so excited, this was my first time being responsible for a project of this size!

What is your favorite part about joining QSRP group projects?

Well, I breathe this big sense of purpose, this big sense of commitment in achieving goals together. This is exactly what I feel about about joining QSRP group projects. The creation of QSRP is first and foremost a "human story" with a team climate where different brands and people from different backgrounds and countries meet each other. Having common goals increases sense of community which makes everyone willing to go the extra mile.?