PARIS, FRANCE: Danone completed its leadership team with three appointments at Executive Committee level: a Chief Operations Officer; a Chief Research, Innovation, Quality and Food Safety Officer; and a Chief Sustainability and Strategic Business Development Officer.
Three globally recognized professionals – two from outside Danone and one internal – complete the leadership team and represent an important step in strengthening Danone’s execution and innovation, over the short and long-term.
The Chief Operations Officer, in charge of Cycles & Procurement, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, will further strengthen the performance of Danone’s operations. Vikram Agarwal joins Danone in this role, starting from January 2022, after a 33-year international career leading Procurement, Manufacturing and Supply chain functions in consumer goods. He will also be appointed End-to-end Design to Delivery coordinator.
The Chief Research, Innovation, Quality and Food Safety Officer will manage Danone’s science, innovation, quality and product superiority agenda across categories. Isabelle Esser will join the Company in this role, starting from April 2022, bringing more than 25 years of experience in leading Research & Development functions in consumer goods.
Finally, the Chief Sustainability and Strategic Business Development Officer will bring sustainability back to the heart of Danone’s business delivery and performance.
He will also be in charge of identifying, assessing, and exploring new and sustainable growth opportunities, from geographic, category, and business model perspectives. This function will be led by Henri Bruxelles, currently Chief Operating Officer End-to-end Design to Delivery, starting from January 2022.
Antoine de Saint-Affrique, Chief Executive Officer, said: “The completion of the Danone’s Executive Committee team, in particular with the addition of two new senior executives recognized for their expertise, is an important step in bringing Danone back to what made it a unique company: a passion for brands and innovation and excellence in execution, all combined with a pioneering spirit in terms of sustainability. I am proud to lead such a team, characterized by its determination, passion and discipline.”