Welcome to the second episode of The Growth FMCG CEO podcast with Frederic Fernandez. Join Frederic as he sits down with top FMCG CEOs to uncover the strategies and tactics driving their success and growth. 

Our guest for this month is Pablo Perversi, President of Europe for Danone. Pablo, a seasoned FMCG leader, reflects on his immigrant roots, a passion for societal impact, and a lifelong commitment to self-improvement. He also discusses his leadership style, focusing on integrity, teamwork, and resilience, cultivated through roles at Unilever, Danone, and Barry Callebaut. Pablo offers advice on building diverse, digitally savvy teams and fostering an innovative culture, underscoring sustainability and consumer-centricity as pillars of his vision for growth and transformation in FMCG.

Listen to hear Frederic and Pablo discuss the following topics:

(0:00) Early Life and Shaping Values
(12:16) Career Beginnings at Unilever 
(16:15) Key Learnings from Unilever Experience 
(27:00) Advice To Younger Self, Key Strengths & Career Advice 
(38:00) Transition to Barry Callebaut 
(42:00) Joining Danone as Europe CEO 
(50:00) Danone's Turnaround Foundations 
(58:00) Being At The Hand’s Reach Of Desire 
(1:02:25) Leading Plant-Based Growth With Alpro 
(1:06:25) Driving Expandability Through Consumer-Centricity & Avoiding The Private Labels Trap 
(1:11:20) Danone Synergistic And Ownable M&A Strategy 
(1:14:40) Role Of People/ Culture & Reflections On The European Turnaround 
(1:21:00) Perspective On Sustainability 
(1:26:25) Parting Thoughts 

The Growth FMCG CEO Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Growth FMCG CEO Interview with Frederic Fernandez podcast. Join Frederic as he sits down with top FMCG CEOs to uncover the strategies and tactics driving their success and growth.

Our first ever guest is Cecile Beliot, CEO of Bel, a family-owned FMCG company with a portfolio of iconic and global brands (The Laughing Cow, Babybel, Boursin etc.). Thanks to its 12,000 employees and €3.6 billion net sales, the company aims to be the most innovative and responsible player in the healthy snacking market, operating in 3 territories: dairy, fruits and plant-based alternatives. Bel is a mission-led company and a pioneer in sustainability, with Cecile being passionate about reinventing the food industry and capitalism towards a more human, inclusive and sustainable system.

Listen to hear Frederic and Cecile discuss the following topics:

(0:00) Intro
(0:35) Personal journey, shaping values & early dreams
(7:04) Professional journey: from Kraft to Bel through Danone
(14:55) Know what your right-hand is & the formative years in Russia
(20:49) Bel, its singularity & unique purpose
(26:18) Bel, this innovative precursor & the disruptive story of the Laughing Cow
(33:52) Bel transformation journey, geographic & category diversification and becoming a global healthy snacks company
(40:18) Unleashing the power of acquisitions, strategic partnerships & opened ecosystems – case in point: India
(47:00) The alternative protein journey, the key learnings and why Mother Nature remains for now the best path forward
(56:14) Sustainability - unpacking the Why, the What & the How
(1:07:40) Strategizing sustainability – from present-forward/ future-back value at stake identification through prioritization to execution at-scale
(1:13:12) The fake dilemma of sustainability & why strategizing it has become a key source of competitive advantage
(1:19:00) Bel’s infinite game & its own definition of long-term success
(1:23:35) Cecile’s take on women at the top & how to accelerate
(1:34:40) Advice to women, role of mentors & the PIN model
(1:42:00) Parting thoughts & key messages to all stakeholders


The Growth FMCG CEO Podcast is handcrafted by our friends over at: fame.so