Can you tell us a little about your significant accomplishments over the last few years, as a team or by yourself?  

As a team, we have successfully worked together on the most significant acquisition ever in Brink’s history — the 2020 purchase of the G4S cash operations and international services in a total of 27 countries, the majority of which are in Europe and Asia, for USD$ 800+m.  

The creation of such team spirit in my regional legal team of over 30 people, spread over different countries and cultures during the pandemic, has been one of my most outstanding achievements as an individual. It has been an honour to be the only member appointed on the Brink group’s leadership team with no US background. Furthermore, in 2018 I was appointed Data Protection Officer, expanding my scope beyond my regional general counsel role.  

Have any recent political, economic or regulatory changes impacted your work? How are you dealing with this?  

Covid-19 has impacted us substantially — our customers, cash usage, and businesses.  

One of the unexpected negative sides of the pandemic was the early attack on cash, hidden as health warnings, as to the alleged risk of getting Covid when paying with cash. Scientific studies later revealed there was no specific risk associated. Still, it meant that we had to do a lot of communication and coordinate through trade associations, so there was no higher risk with cash payments.  

On the positive side, the pandemic magnified Brink’s role in making cash accessible, which remains a crucial necessity for most people. Brink’s is designated by governments worldwide as an essential service provider: our employees support critical ATM, banking and business operations. We are a crucial player in keeping our economies functioning.  

How has the increasing consciousness of climate change and sustainability affected your company and the team’s priorities?  

Brink’s recently formalised its sustainability programme at the group level and issued its first sustainability report in June 2022. We were able to showcase many strategic initiatives supporting our sustainability priorities, including improving how we run our businesses by expanding efficiency initiatives, creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace and launching new products to reduce the time our trucks spend on the roads while improving customer service and financial results.  

At the French level, Brink’s France’s sustainable development program was awarded a silver medal from Ecovadis in 2022, ranking it in the top 25% of sustainable companies in France. The legal team was a crucial part of the project team, given the weight of European sustainability regulations.