CEO Today Global Awards

www.ceotodaymagazine.com 28 CEO Today Global Awards 2019 switzerland laboratories and offices, to broaden our reach. In parallel, I maintained our strategic investment in Science as our engine of growth, with over 3,100 live patents today. That’s why I put our science to work to address some of today’s greatest challenges such as nutrition, sanitation or climate change. What are your main priorities as CEO? For me, it’s all about being the guardian of the Firmenich legacy. That’s why I am deeply committed to firmly entrenching our spirit of responsible business in our next era of growth. My number one priority is to deliver highly differentiating solutions for our customers to delight their consumers around the world and win across their markets. My second priority is to ensure we attract, retain and develop the best talent in our industry. It’s people who build legacies and make everything possible. That’s why I deeply believe in investing in and developing my 7,600 colleagues around the world to ensure we all thrive. I am in a constant open dialogue with them around the world, through my internal blog and regular meetings when I visit our markets. It’s key for me to stay close to the pulse of the organization! An example of my commitment to ensuring a diverse and inclusive workplace is how we became a globally-certified gender equality employer last December, working with EDGE, the world’s leading business certification standard in workplace equality. My third priority is to balance our daily performance with the investments required to secure our technology and footprint superiority for the future. What key challenges do you face in your business? We need to be ahead of the game. Our challenge is to meet our customers’ needs by delighting their consumers every day, while anticipating and investing in future trends. Let me share the example of food. At Firmenich, more than a decade ago, we started investing in technologies to make healthier food and drink options taste delicious. These investments have paid off significantly. Today our lat- est technology TastePRINT™ can reduce up to 100% of added sugar naturally with- out compromising on taste. Last year alone we removed 150 metric tons of sugar from products that consumers love, removing 600 billion calories from their diets. We are also working on reinventing green protein solutions to ensure their nutritional value matches their deliciousness and appeal to consumers. Theworld food industry reached a historic landmark with the definition of healthy diets by the EAT-Lancet Commission report this January. Written by 37 scientists from 16 coun­ tries over a 3-year period, this is the very first scientific report healthy and sustainable diet looks like. This universal healthy diet is Flexitarian, with balanced animal and plant- based proteins, a doubling of consumption of fruits, vegetables and nuts, as well as a 50% reduction in added sugars. “My focus is to deliver leading technology and innovation to develop winning solutions for our customers.” “I am committed to shaping the future of food to enable healthy and sustainable diets for all.” “We are now one of only seven companies worldwide, and the first in our industry, to be a globally certified Gender Equality Employer.”