Gategroup disseminates training information related to a global code of conduct from its global headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland. Balsanek then works with the companies` regional compliance committees to identify relevant issues and localize content. They observe current topics, read daily updates from legal associations, sift through alerts, gather ideas from external firms and internal clients, attend webinars, and meet monthly to identify risks and discuss new issues. gategroup encourages and empowers individuals to give their best in high-performing, supportive and collaborative teams. Balsanek encourages all members of his team to spend as much time as possible in the field. A lawyer who goes to a Gategroup kitchen to collect documents or collect a signature should step up to the floor and get to know the employees and the day-to-day problems they encounter. “It`s impossible for every employee to have a complete and complete understanding of all the legal issues we face as a company, and we don`t expect that either,” says Balsanek. “But if we can communicate issues well and stay responsive, we can start an ongoing conversation.” This approach provides employees with the resources they need and helps gategroup stay compliant while staying true to the company`s values and global code of conduct. Starting your professional career is a particularly exciting time and joining gategroup`s operational graduate program is your stepping stone to success and allows you to start your career.
Today, Balsanek is General Counsel for the North American region of gategroup. In this role, she is responsible for creating and implementing a company-wide training program in the U.S. and Canada that aims to maintain the global airline catering company`s compliance across multiple jurisdictions and jurisdictions. However, given the size of the organization, this is not an easy task. Gategroup was founded in 2008 and operates ten companies with forty-three thousand employees in over sixty countries and territories. Business in Europe and North America accounts for the majority of annual sales. Haitz comes from Swiss Re, where he joined the group as General Counsel in October 2020. Previously, he worked at Heritage B, where he joined as Senior Corporate Counsel in 2017 and assumed the role of Group Chief Legal and Compliance Officer from 2018. Within the company, he was a member of the Executive Committee and Secretary General. Our commitment to diversity goes hand in hand with our commitment to inclusion: all employees are valued and treated with respect at all times.
In our international and multiculturally diverse company, we celebrate differences and promote individuality. Enabling our employees to be more inclusive not only contributes to the employee experience at gategroup, but also benefits our business results. Haitz began his internal career in 2003 at Pöyry, a Finnish company, where he was initially responsible for the German market with 16 subsidiaries and started two years later for the Zurich office. From November 2008 to December 2011, he worked at Wild Group Management, a privately owned, mostly business-to-business food company, as well as for consumer brand Capri Sun. From April 2012 to December 2016, as General Secretary and member of the Extended Executive Board, he was responsible for setting up the legal function of JTI`s Swiss market and production unit. Headquartered in Zurich, gategroup is the world`s leading provider of products, services and technology for airline catering, logistics, inflight retail and hospitality products, serving more than 700 million passengers annually from more than 200 business units in more than 60 countries and territories on all continents. gategroup`s EME legal team is led by Kevin Forjette, General Counsel, EME and includes Danny Kempeneers, Senior Legal Counsel, Valeria Barattiero, Legal Counsel and Luke Pomroy, Senior Counsel. The team is fully responsible for the EME region as well as retail and retail technology issues worldwide, which together account for more than half of gategroup`s annual sales. EME`s legal team works closely with the company and as a thought leader at all levels of the organization to develop pragmatic, innovative and law-compliant solutions to implement corporate strategy and implement the business plan – which in turn creates exciting offers and opportunities for its clients and travelers.
Their extensive knowledge of local and regional cultural differences and associated legal requirements, combined with their knowledge of the organization`s business, operational, business, employment, compliance and regulatory requirements, make them highly efficient and effective strategists and trusted partners for the company and its management. Balsanek doesn`t just make gategroup`s global code relevant to their region. Their legal team has implemented a multi-layered compliance training program that takes place online and in person. The online component covers standard topics and the legal team adapts the live modules to address specific areas of risk. For example, Balsanek or one of his colleagues may go to a boarding group kitchen to train employees on workplace harassment, or they may inform company employees about nuanced privacy issues.