Janet Joubran
Chief People Officer
KFC
Janet Joubran is the Chief People Officer at Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) Canada, a division of YUM! Brands. She recently joined YUM! Brands in Spring of 2020. With over fifteen years of experience in human resources, Janet has a proven track record of building strong relationships with executive leadership and being a trusted strategic business partner.
Prior to KFC, Janet worked with The Coca-Cola Company for nine years and held various human resources roles supporting all functions of the organization including corporate teams and operations.
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Give us a brief overview of the path that led to your current role.
I previously worked in the CPG industry for over 9 years where I was exposed to the quick-service restaurant (QSR) space. I have always thrived in a fast-paced environment, and this was a natural fit.
Keeping an open mind to opportunities in my entire career has enabled me to gain experience across different facets of human resources, both in a shared services/COE environment and across decentralized HR support structures. Above all, gaining exposure as a business partner across every function of the business has provided me with a depth of knowledge to be a more strategic partner, resulting in a broader enterprise mind-set.
What is one of your guiding leadership principles?
One of my guiding leadership principles is staying solutions-focused and balancing a future-focused mind-set. But if I had to give you my second, you must enable fun at work. It’s quite incredible how impactful an enjoyable work environment is on engagement and productivity, with research proving this as well.
With disruption being a key theme of the past year, where do you see your role as a CHRO going in the next 1-2 years?
I see the CHRO role being a champion for change and ensuring we stay open-minded to what change looks like for the future of work. I feel my role is to always push the envelope and not regress back to old-ways of working, because we have learned that there are new ways to work in a hybrid environment. In addition, CHROs will focus on how we can evolve the employee value proposition quickly, and how we can prepare ourselves to continue to evolve it.
What advice would you give to someone just starting out in the role as a CHRO?
Believe in yourself. Very rarely will you find a playbook to reference. Surround yourself with talent that brings diversity of thought to the table.
Tell us 3 fun facts about yourself.
- I can watch re-run sitcoms all day and every day!
- I speak Arabic fluently.
- My happy place is being on a beach and soaking in the sun with my husband and daughter.
What is the value of participating in a professional community through Evanta?
Incredible networking and meeting peers who are working through similar opportunities or challenges. I’m always learning new things from the community.
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