What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Among the main highlights, I point out large projects in the regulatory scope, mainly with agencies such as ANVISA and MAPA. With the launch of Burger King’s global claim for real food, we began the process of removing artificial additives from all products in our portfolio. In this sense, it was necessary for us to act to understand the possibilities and limits of narrative, as well as help in the relationship with suppliers and partners who supported us and continue to support our project.

In the labour area, with new partnerships with trade unions, we strengthened closer efforts to ensure compliance with the rights of our more than 16,000 employees throughout the national territory.

At the corporate level, we provide support to the investor relations team in relation to the Securities and Exchange Commission (CVM), for example, to ensure compliance with the rules of the new market – where we are listed.

Did the pandemic lead to a lasting increase in the interaction your legal team has with the strategic plans of the company?

Yes. At first, and more directly related to the legal universe, the pandemic brought greater concern about the legal implications of business decisions, so that the legal sector became even more aware and acted as a decision-making agent for defining processes, creating internal approval chains for projects and disseminating information to be followed. This vision is very valid in a company in accelerated growth with increasing concerns about governance and compliance.

In addition, the pandemic brought an even more people-focused view. We are a company focused on people, which has as one of our values: “people at the centre of everything”, whether our employees or our customers. And, of course, we had, like society and the market, a period that was beyond challenging in terms of maintaining proximity to the team and relationships with people. We were one of the first companies, in mid-March 2020, to transparently inform our team about some of the challenges ahead, but that with everyone’s help, we would come out much stronger. We support non-governmental institutions with alignments, we donate part of our income to hospitals in the Unified Health System. It was a period in which we strengthened the relationship between areas and teams even more, with an empathetic and humane treatment to ensure everyone’s health and well-being at a delicate moment for people. We came out of this period stronger, willing to resume our growth plan and without having lost any lives to the pandemic.

As we live in a fast-paced world today, what skills will a corporate legal team need to succeed in the modern in-house industry?

One of the most important skills that the legal team needs to succeed in the market is to be always up to date with new regulatory standards, legal requirements for the operation to function and aware of the transformational processes that technology is making in the public and private sphere. Agility is also needed to meet demands to avoid hampering the internal management of flows. The team’s vision is also essential, because when we understand the legal sector as part of the whole, we understand that we are contributing to the company’s growth. At this point, I highlight the speed and precision with which our team at ZAMP, for example, deals with processes and matters that are potentially more delicate.

It is also important to maintain simplicity in day-to-day dealings and demands, positioning the legal team not as a hindrance and impediment to processes, but as an ally in the smooth running and guarantee of compliance of the company’s projects. Today, for example, we have quick and assertive contact with the communication and marketing team to ensure the agility and authenticity that a brand like Burger King needs to remain close to its consumers and attuned to issues relevant to society.

The unusual business environment created by the pandemic has been swiftly followed by other shocks. Are you now putting more emphasis on preparing for the unforeseen and, if so, what does this entail?

Yes definitely. The scenario that took shape in business after the pandemic requires that we have a predictive thinking and look at different situations. Keeping an eye out for unpredictable scenarios becomes a point of attention for governance and risks at the company: we are preparing for scenarios in a way that predisposes us to an analytical exercise, of what lies ahead, and a more focused capacity for observation of all business projects currently running. But it is important to reinforce that, like the pandemic, extreme scenarios are practically impossible to predict. In this sense, what really counts is building a team that is ready to be by your side to face these extreme scenarios if the moment comes.