The human capital executive's greatest passion is training and developing people.
McDonald’s South Africa human capital executive Brigitte Da Gama has been nominated for the inaugural CHRO Awards. The ceremony, which will be held on 27 November 2019, will give HR directors and CHROs of listed companies, large corporations, state-owned entities and government institutions alike an opportunity to be recognised and rewarded for their exceptional performance and leadership.
Brigitte’s HR journey started at the University of Cape Town where she studied Industrial and Organisational Psychology. She thereafter became a senior HR Manager, leading a team and forming a strategic partnership on HR matters with all the Deans of all the academic faculties at UCT. In 2009, she obtained an MBA from the University of Stellenbosch.
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Having spent many years working in the banking, IT and asset management industries, Brigitte joined McDonald’s SA in 2015. She has since been involved in with the global brand’s initiation of a revitalisation strategy, which incorporated a revamp of the organisational culture.
“My greatest passion is training and developing people. I love to give people the tools that empower them and allow them to change their lives for the better. That’s why I put a lot of effort into making sure that the development programmes we run at McDonald’s offer tangible value to our people and the company,” says Brigitte.
Speaking at the inaugural HR Indaba last year, Brigitte's advice for young professionals who want to build a career in HR was that they need to be committed and execute tasks with quality.
“Because, when you do that, you start having credibility and people start believing that you are reliable. Doing this will help a lot of new HR professionals build credibility and a work ethic,” she said.
With over 36,000 locations in over 100 countries, McDonald’s is one of the world’s leading global foodservice retailers. More than 80% of McDonald’s restaurants worldwide are owned and operated by independent business owners, employing 1.9 million people worldwide.
