FRANCE -Danone, the French dairy giant, has appointed three deputy CEOs with extended responsibilities to strengthen its decision-making and elevate its ability to perform in the market.
The new deputy CEOs are Shane Grant, Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta and Juergen Esser and they will report to the current CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique.
Danone largely focuses on major categories like plant-based milk and yoghurt, traditional dairy, water and specialized nutrition.
With these appointments, the respective leaders will each be assigned a category to head which will allow the company to prioritize the growth and innovation of the categories and the regions in which they operate.
Veronique Penchienati-Bosetta, who was the CEO of Danone’s international operations has been made responsible for China, North Asia and other parts of the world heading Danone’s specialized nutrition and water categories along with their global marketing and digital sectors.
Shane Grant who was the CEO of North America has been appointed group deputy CEO of North America and Latina America, responsible for the Global dairy and plant-based category and its global customer and commercial leadership.
Juergen Esser, who was the chief financial technology and data officer has been appointed Group deputy CEO in charge of the finance, technology and data categories.
Antoine de Saint-Affrique, the CEO, said in a statement, “The appointment of three Group Deputy CEOs with proven expertise and leadership will enable us to further enhance our excellence in execution and better elevate our capabilities and category expertise across the company.”
All the other members of the executive committee are expected to continue with their roles as usual.
Other adjusted segments in the company include the appointment of a new Europe Zone President Pablo Perversi in replacement of Floris Wesseling.
Perversi previously held the positions of Chief Innovation, Sustainability and Quality Officer at Barry Callebaut, a chocolate producer, and Vice President of Foods Europe at Unilever Europe.
Antoine de Saint-Affrique himself was appointed the CEO of Danone on September 2021 when the company struggled with a stagnant share price and pressure on many of its businesses.
Six months after his appointment, he rolled out the Renew Danone platform to improve performance in the company’s weak categories and invest more in its stronger brands.
Danone has accumulated immense growth since and is currently a major global dairy player among peers like Nestlé and Lactalis.
In the first quarter of 2022, the company reported a consolidated sales value of €13.3 billion (US$14.6B) an increase of 7.4% with a 6.1% increase contributed by price and a 1.3% contribution from volume.
In the second half of 2022, the sales increased by 7.7% and the recurring operating income for the second half of 2022 standing at €1.6 billion (US$1.74B).
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