Danone: Three new Directors proposed for election at 2022
Shareholders’ Meeting
Press Release – Paris, February 24, 2022
Three new
Directors proposed for election
at 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting
Danone is pleased to announce that three senior
executives will be proposed as new independent members of its Board
of Directors.
In April 2022, and subject to the approval of
the 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting, the Board of Directors will
welcome:
- Patrice Louvet,
currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Ralph
Lauren;
- Géraldine Picaud,
currently Chief Financial Officer of Holcim;
- Susan Roberts,
PhD, professor of nutrition at Tufts University and co-director of
the Tufts Institute for Global Obesity Research.
These appointments will complement those of
Valerie Chapoulaud-Floquet and Antoine de Saint-Affrique, also
presented to the 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting. By 2023, the Company
will have renewed the totality of its Board of Directors, with the
exception of Gilles Schnepp and the two Directors representing
Employees, as announced in July 2021.
At the end of April 2022, and subject to the
approval of the 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting, the Board will consist
of 12 Directors, reaching 80% independence and gender parity; 60%
of Directors will be CEOs and ex-CEOs, and 40% of them will have a
non-French nationality.
Gilles Schnepp, Chairman of the Board
said:
“The decision to propose the appointment of
Patrice Louvet, Géraldine Picaud and Susan Roberts is another step
forward for Danone and its Board renewal. They will bring their
experience, as well as their internationally recognized expertise
in Consumer Goods, Health and Nutrition, Sustainability, Finance
and M&A. I would like to thank them, on behalf of the Board of
Directors, for their engagement and look forward to working with
them.
Last year as a Board we made clear our
commitment to ensure our composition would comprise the right blend
of capabilities, perspectives and experiences to support Danone’s
performance. The appointment of Valerie Chapoulaud-Floquet,
announced last December, and the proposed appointment of Patrice
Louvet, Géraldine Picaud and Susan Roberts announced today deliver
on that commitment.
Today’s announcement marks another milestone for
Danone, ahead of the Company’s Capital Market Day on March, 8 and
2022 Shareholders’ Meeting on April, 26.”
APPENDIX
Danone Board
renewal – Reminder
On July 29, 2021, Danone announced the complete
renewal of its Board of Directors: all current Directors – with the
exception of Gilles Schnepp and the two Directors representing
Employees – will be leaving the Board of Directors by the 2023
Shareholders’ Meeting.
In the meantime, Danone will propose the
election of new, externally-recruited Directors, with the objective
of constituting a more independent and compact Board of Directors
featuring the right blend of FMCG-experience, capabilities and
perspectives.
Biographies
Patrice Louvet is President and
Chief Executive Officer of Ralph Lauren Corporation. Since joining
Ralph Lauren Corporation in 2017, Mr. Louvet has initiated the
company’s digital transformation and brand elevation strategy
worldwide, step-changed its international and direct-to-consumer
retail expansion, while further embedding citizenship and
sustainability into the iconic brand’s business. Prior to Ralph
Lauren, Mr. Louvet spent nearly three decades in leadership roles
across three continents at Procter & Gamble. He led and grew
multi-billion-dollar global consumer brands – ranging from Gillette
to Pantene and SK-II – across diverse distribution channels and
geographies. A French and American national, Mr. Louvet graduated
from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, received his MBA
from the University of Illinois and served in the French Navy as
Naval Officer, Admiral Aide de Camp. He currently serves on the
Board of Directors of the Hospital for Special Surgery, the Private
Group Bacardi Limited and the National Retail Federation and is on
the CEO Advisory Council of the Fashion Pact, a coalition committed
to advancing environmental sustainability in the fashion and
textile industries.
Géraldine Picaud has been Chief
Financial Officer of Holcim (then LafargeHolcim) since January
2018. Ms. Picaud joined the Group from Essilor International, a CAC
40-listed ophthalmic optics company, where she was Group CFO. Prior
to that, she was CFO of Volcafe Holdings, the coffee business of
ED&F Man, an ingredient and commodity company notably
specializing in agricultural products, coffee, sugar and animal
feed. Prior to that she led the Corporate Finance and M&A
function at ED&F Man. Before joining ED&F Man, Ms. Picaud
spent thirteen years at international specialty group Safic Alcan,
as Head of Business Analysis and as CFO. She started her career
with audit firm Arthur Andersen.Ms. Picaud graduated from the
Superior School of Commerce of Reims and holds an MBA. She is a
non-executive Director at Infineon Technologies AG.
Susan B. Roberts, PhD, is a
professor of nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science
and Policy at Tufts, professor of psychiatry and scientific staff
member in pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine, and
co-director of the Tufts Institute for Global Obesity Research.Dr
Roberts is an internationally-recognized nutrition researcher who
brings advances in nutrition science to support healthy eating and
weight management worldwide. As part of her work she is co-leading
a consortium of scientists to understand the physiology of the
weight-reduced state and co-leads a new International Weight
Control Registry which is collaborating with scientists in 19
countries to identifying successful weight management practices in
different cultures. She did her PhD training in nutrition at the
University of Cambridge, UK, holds UK and Canadian citizenships and
is a U.S. permanent resident. Dr Roberts has published over 280
research papers in research journals including the New England
Journal of Medicine and JAMA. She has sat on national and
international committees for dietary recommendations including a
recent congress-mandated evaluation by National Academies of
Sciences to improve the process of developing Dietary Guidelines
for Americans.
About Danone
(www.danone.com)
Danone is a leading global food and beverage
company building on health-focused and fast-growing categories in 3
businesses: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products, Waters and
Specialized Nutrition. With its ‘One Planet. One Health’ frame of
action, which considers the health of people and the planet as
intimately interconnected, Danone aims to inspire healthier and
more sustainable eating and drinking practices. To accelerate this
food revolution and create superior, sustainable, profitable value
for all its stakeholders, Danone has defined nine 2030 Goals, and
paved the way as the first listed company to adopt the “Entreprise
à Mission” status in France. With a purpose to bring health through
food to as many people as possible, and corresponding social,
societal and environmental objectives set out in its articles of
association, Danone commits to operating in an efficient,
responsible and inclusive manner, in line with the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. By 2025, Danone
aims to become one of the first multinational companies to obtain B
Corp™ certification. With more than 100,000 employees, and products
sold in over 120 markets, Danone generated €23.6 billion in sales
in 2020. Danone’s portfolio includes leading international brands
(Actimel, Activia, Alpro, Aptamil, Danette, Danio, Danonino, evian,
Nutricia, Nutrilon, Volvic, among others) as well as strong local
and regional brands (including AQUA, Blédina, Bonafont, Cow &
Gate, Horizon Organic, Mizone, Oikos, Prostokvashino, Silk). Listed
on Euronext Paris and present on the OTCQX market via an ADR
(American Depositary Receipt) program, Danone is a component stock
of leading sustainability indexes including the ones managed by
Vigeo Eiris and Sustainalytics, as well as the Ethibel
Sustainability Index, the MSCI ESG Indexes, the FTSE4Good Index
Series, Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and the Access to
Nutrition Index.
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