Daniel Ordóñez (Danone Iberia): “The shift towards more sustainable, more purposeful products is inevitable”
“The shift towards more sustainable, more purposeful products is inevitable in order to keep growing and contribute more value to society”, explained the managing director of Danone Iberia, Daniel Ordóñez, at the latest session of Matins Esade. The director addressed the future of food companies in today’s demanding, uncertain landscape. “In the last decade, small niche companies in the FMCG sector have been the big winners, whilst the value of we big manufacturers has declined in our category”, he emphasised. But Daniel Ordóñez believes that “big brands are necessary in order to make a positive impact on industry and society.”
To date, some mature categories “have achieved great results in terms of efficiency but have become less attractive to new generations of consumers.” The managing director of Danone Iberia is determined to change this situation by embracing the opportunities of new consumers with high-value products such as vegetable protein and sports nutrition. “This new strategy has great benefits for the industry and for society”, he declared.
“The Danone multinational is currently changing in order to implement a highly competitive, dynamic and collaborative model enabling a return to profitable, sustainable growth”, explained Ordóñez. The aim of this director, recently appointed on October 4th, is in fact to accelerate change in the company to take advantage of future growth in the vegetable, protein, probiotic, specialist nutrition and organic products made by brands such as Alpro, YoPRO, Activia, Actimel, Almiron and Fortimel. “Brands must review their mission and value proposal, must add new functionalities and, above all, must enhance their quality – an increasingly important factor amongst new consumers”, he pointed out.
Three pillars for changing the food industry
“Danone, the first FMCG company in Spain with BCorp certification, aims to transform the sector”, said the director, by focusing on three pillars for changing the food industry: improving the health and diet of new generations; shifting towards a more sustainable livestock and farming industry in Spain; and combating the negative impact of climate change along the entire value chain. “We cannot achieve this change alone”, admitted Ordóñez, so his company is developing these programmes in conjunction with entities including DKV, Fundación Trilema, Fundación Ashoka, Spain’s Ministry of Education, Alma Natura, CEMAS, IRTA and BCorp.
The challenge of attracting talent
“In order to recruit and retain talent, companies must focus on innovation, value and purpose”, said Daniel Ordóñez categorically. “Nowadays, 90% of millennials want to use their creativity to make a positive impact on society, and 85% of the young people in generation Z believe that companies should help solve problems in society.”
At present, Danone Iberia employs more than 2,000 people and has offices in Barcelona, Madrid and Lisbon. The company supplies more than 13.5m households each year from 360,000 points of sale across the country.
Matins Esade are meeting points where the leaders of companies and institutions discuss their challenges, obstacles and track records.
