Employee Stories

Employee Spotlight: Kirsten McElcheran

Executive Assistant | 5 Years at TouchBistro

Kirsten McElcheran

In a sentence or two — what do you do here at TouchBistro? How has your role/department evolved over the years?

My role at TouchBistro is Executive Assistant to our CEO, Samir Zabaneh and provide administrative support for the rest of our Senior Leadership Team. In addition, I also plan our internal company events and work on general office administration. This is my fourth role at TouchBistro, I started nearly 5 years ago in CS as a Customer Care Coordinator.

What is your favorite project you’ve worked on at TB?

My favorite project that I’ve recently worked on was planning our company holiday party. It was our first big company offsite event since before the pandemic, so it was incredible to bring our employees together to celebrate the holidays and the accomplishments we’ve achieved that year. It was also a full circle moment for me, as the venue we hosted our event at is a restaurant where I previously worked for a number of years myself.

How do the core values of TouchBistro contribute to the success of your projects?

TouchBistro’s core values of Accountability, Passion, Respect, Collaboration and Innovation really sum up the kind of employee I always aspire to be, as well as the kind of colleague I’d love to work with on any project. The key to the success of any project is always teamwork – working cohesively together toward a common goal and encompassing all of these values while we do it to achieve the best result. Our amazing Talent Team always has these values  top of mind while recruiting, which clearly shines through in the team we have here at TouchBistro.

What aspect of your role at TouchBistro brings you the most satisfaction and fulfillment, and why?

The nature of my role allows me the opportunity to work directly with so many incredible and knowledgeable people across all departments. I feel very lucky to have this unique perspective, as many roles mostly function within their own teams and don’t necessarily encounter as many individuals across the organization in their day-to-day. Majority of the work I do is internal on behalf of our employees and leaders as well, which is something I find especially fulfilling. Lastly, bringing people together and supporting our internal teams, which in turn supports the company as a whole is very rewarding for me.

What’s your go-to comfort food or guilty pleasure snack?

Potatoes in any form! Mashed potatoes above all though.

What is your favorite type of cuisine?

I love Korean and Japanese food! Bibimbap is a favorite dish of mine.

What is your favorite hobby outside of work?

I love to go to yoga, pilates, and spin classes. I also like to go bouldering at indoor climbing gyms and for long walks along the beltline trail in Toronto with my friends.

What is your favorite vacation/travel destination? Give us some recommendations!

In general, I am very happy to visit any place with a warm climate and a sandy beach! I recently visited Barbados and had an incredible time there. If you decide to visit, make sure you check out the surfing at Freights Bay and Drill Hall Beach. 

Interested in joining the team?

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