Roberto Di Bernardini’s Post

At Danone, our people make valuable contributions every day, no matter their role or function, and some with “atypical” jobs.   Pierre BELLE is one of those exceptional Danoners. A hydrogeologist in Evian, France, he makes sure that current, and most importantly, future generations continue to benefit from our naturally occurring evian mineral water.   This is because Danone takes water stewardship seriously. We know that water is one of the world’s most precious resources – and we take care of it as such.   In our water business, our Danoners like Pierre collaborate closely with local partners and actors to preserve nature’s exceptional resources, through a science-based, holistic approach. We ensure that our actions are beneficial for local inhabitants.   Learn more about Pierre’s role below!   #WaterPreservation #Evian #WeAreDanone 

Human Rights Campus @Danone As business leaders, we have a responsibility to uphold the highest standard of human rights throughout our ecosystem. It simply makes ethical and moral sense.   And, focusing on human rights drives sustainable business growth, resilience, employee engagement, talent attractivity, and long-term success – among others.     These are messages relayed at last week’s @Danone Human Rights Campus event, which brought together 29 human rights leaders from our country business units with the aim of boosting capabilities and foster networking.     Our common goal: ensure the implementation of human rights due diligence throughout our operations, as part of our sustainability roadmap, the Danone Impact Journey.  This is no easy task given the specificity of all the countries in which we operate, and amidst numerous priorities. But human rights are integral to our mission and our values, and I am positive that we will continue to make progress, together.     A huge thank you to all the speakers and in particular Henri Bruxelles for his strong co-sponsorship as well as Sylvain Lobry and his team for organizing such a great event. Thank you to our external speaker Julie Vallat as well!     #HumanRights #DanoneImpactJourney

Parental leave in action in Danone.

A thought on mental health awareness month... As leaders and managers, we have a lofty responsibility: to lead our teams to success. And a large part of that success hinges on our employees’ mental health.   Studies show that for 70% (!) of people, their manager is as important as their partner when it comes to their mental health.      So, what can we, as leaders and managers, do to ensure that we’re positively affecting our employees?     First, we can keep check of our own mental health. Make sure that we’re not burning the candle at both ends, putting in excessive hours, and creating undue stress on ourselves – and, in turn, our teams. It’s about walking the talk.    We also need to take stock of our leadership style. Are we demonstrating proximity, and responding to employees’ needs – with empathy and compassion? Are our employees feeling challenged and given autonomy, while having the work-life balance they need? It’s about listening – truly listening – and creating regular opportunities for open and productive dialogue.     Our employees are a company’s most precious asset. And our job, as leaders and managers, is take care of that resource – by taking care of ourselves and them. Ultimately, everyone benefits – including the company’s bottom line.     #MentalHealthAwarenessMonth #mentalhealth

WOW!!! Congratulations to the evian team and… everyone is welcome to the mountain of youth!

Danone is a company like no other: a unique organization of talented individuals, some with very atypical jobs – and each of whom makes Danone extraordinary.     In their own way, each Danoner helps to fulfil our mission of bringing health through food to as many people as possible, in a way that has a positive impact on the business and, equally importantly, society and the environment.     In our water business, our Danoners collaborate closely with local partners and actors to preserve our natural resources. Our goal: ensure that current and future generations alike continue to benefit from naturally occurring mineral and spring water.    We are featuring some of these exceptional individuals, and their very unique jobs, in a new video series.    Episode 1 brings you Héloïse Augros and Badoit. Héloïse works to identify and implement actions to preserve naturally sparkling mineral water in Saint-Galmier, France.     Learn more about her role in the first episode below!     #WaterPreservation #Badoit

Less can be more... The 4 days a week may well be one of the major challenges and opportunities our department is facing: is the four days a week with no salary reduction and increased productivity a concrete possibility? The results of the trial featured by this video from the World Economic Forum (WEF) seam to be very encouraging. Let me add an additional layer: 4 days a week for white collars, sales forces and for blue collars. If for the first category it is only a matter of time, we need to crack the code to make this possible for all the others. This will be a gigantic step forward for gender equality, mental health, the economy... #gendergap #Humanresources

Congratulations to the winners of the Danone Celebra Torneio It’s not every day you get to meet with a group of enthusiastic, engaged, and award-winning colleagues! Yesterday was one of those for me.     I met with the winners of the Danone Celebra Torneio – a local recognition program at Danone Brazil to designate projects with significant economic and societal impact, linked to our new Danone behaviors and HOPE values.   Among the 180 submissions, there were 25 finalists, and ultimately 4 winning projects – composed of 11 women (!) and 5 men. What impressed me was the diverse scope of the projects and profiles involved, covering: 1) access to specialized nutrition in the national policy to combat cancer, 2) promotion of regenerative agriculture on partner farms, 3) implementation of of a new UHT line at our essential dairy and plant-based factory in Poços de Caldas, and 4) use of smart campaigns to guide consumers in choosing products.   A huge BRAVO to all the winners, as well as the 21 other project finalists (and more!). You are a personification of what we want at Danone: economic growth with a positive impact on society, the Dual Project in action!