VALUE CREATION
Putting its stakeholders' interests, especially those of its consumers, at the center has enabled Nestlé to become the biggest player in Portugal's FCMG sector and retain invaluable human talent in the increasingly sought-after market.
BIOGRAPHY
Paolo Fagnoni joined the Nestlé Group in 1991, beginning with roles in marketing and sales in several business units and then taking the lead in the petcare business at Nestlé Purina Italy in 2000. After 12 years in Italy, he was appointed Regional Director for Germany and Austria in 2003. Two years later, he was given responsibilities for Nestlé’s Petcare business in Switzerland, the Netherlands, Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. In 2008, Fagnoni assumed the role of Business Executive Manager of Nestlé’s Culinary Food business before becoming Regional & Category Manager for Nestlé EMENA Zone at Nestlé’s headquarters in Vevey, Switzerland. Since January 2018, Fagnoni is CEO of Nestlé Portugal, managing a portfolio of more than 90 brands.Can you give us an overview of the evolution of Nestlé Portugal?
The evolution of Nestlé Portugal is in a certain sense similar to the growth and evolution of Nestlé as a global company. Nestlé started in Portugal with a dairy business in 1923, and from there, the company evolved organically and through acquisitions, launches, and new categories to become the multi-category, multinational multi-brand company it is today. Nestlé has developed several local brands and products to answer the Portuguese consumers' needs. These include brands and products that became local jewels like Cerelac, Nestum, Mokambo, and Buondi, together with international products such as Nespresso, Nestlé Purina, and Nestlé Health Science. Food is a significant part of our portfolio and history, though we are also keen on the dimensions of health and wellness.
Where do you see opportunities for the population to become healthier?
We want to enhance the quality of life and contribute to a better future. Becoming healthier is a broad ambition because it is multifactorial; it is related to the food you eat but also to your lifestyle. Nestlé produces food and beverages that aim to improve the quality of life of individuals and their families. Moreover, we constantly strive to provide consumers with the best nutritional solutions, choosing the best ingredients, applying the latest scientific knowledge to the formulation, and providing solutions that are convenient to suit the different needs of each consumer according to age, physical condition, personal taste, and lifestyle. Reducing sugar is one of the areas we are active in across all categories; in Portugal specifically, we have been working extensively on significantly reducing the amount of sugar across our portfolio. Between 2013 and 2017, Nestlé reduced 2,750 tons of sugar from its products, equivalent to 11 billion calories. Similarly, we have reduced salt and saturated fat and developed a gluten-free product range as well as a bio/natural range of products across categories.
How do you contribute to the social development of healthier foods?
Being the most relevant food company, it is our duty to inspire people, share our knowledge in nutrition, health and wellness, and lead discussions about food. Since 1999, we have been working together with the Ministry of Education to enable teachers from pre and elementary schools to teach basic nutrition concepts to students. Nestlé was also a pioneer in developing and introducing new labeling schemes aimed to provide consumers with better nutritional information that help them make informed choices. Another aspect are the partnerships we have been developing with our clients to broadly spread educational messages to the consumers about balanced diets; these partnerships are fundamental as Nestlé alone does not have the means to solely impact its millions of consumers. Nestlé is highly active in supporting government efforts to improve the nutritional quality of foods, advocating for the improvement of nutritional profile of products and for the establishment of high standards across the food industry.
How would you rate the level of human talent in your sector, and what are your strategies to retain the best talent?
Portugal is increasingly becoming an active market and as a result, there is tremendous competition in terms of recruiting talent. At Nestlé Portugal, we have a low level of turnover as compared to other countries. Working at Nestlé is the opportunity to drive the market growth and be part of a company that provides state-of-the-art nutrition and takes good care of Portuguese consumers' preferences and nutrition needs. Our people will drive the change and help shape the future by participating in innovative programs such as “Fora da Casca," developed in partnership with Nova Business School. At Nestlé, people can enjoy a digital environment and a flexible way of work that allows a better work/life balance as well as other benefits like educational support, medical assistance, and health and wellness guidance, among others.
VALUE CREATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Focus: Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries
Making an Impact
Established in 1996, the Community of Portuguese Language Speaking Countries (CPLP) is a mechanism geared at linking and sharing the experience of Lusophone countries. Besides Portugal, this includes Brazil, Portugal, Cape Verde, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, and São Tomé and Príncipe.
read articleFocus
Don’t Mind the Disruption
Having won the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest, Lisbon hosted the 2018 event. The relevance? Well, the contest began back in 1956 as a showcase not only of song, but of then-nascent live television broadcast technology. Today, Portugal is on the cutting edge of new technological developments.
read articleInterview
João Pedro Soeiro de Matos Fernandes , Minister , Environment and Energy Transition
The Ministry for the Environment and Energy Transition is focusing on decarbonizing the economy, valuing the territory and its habitats, and striving for a more circular use of the country's resources.
read articleInterview
António Braz Costa , General Manager, Portuguese Technological Centre for the Textile & Clothing Industries (CITEVE)
CITEVE has transformed the industry by promoting value addition, adopting the latest technologies, and ensuring the highest standards of environmental sustainability.
read articleFocus: New airport
Right Time to Seize Missed Opportunities
Portugal has seen its air traffic figures increase by as much as 80% in the last five years. As a result, its transportation infrastructure, and Lisbon's airport in particular, cannot cope with the rising numbers. A new airport project that will turn a military base into a commercial airport is now under discussion to bring much-needed relief to air traffic.
read articleInterview
Germano de Sousa , President, Grupo Germano de Sousa
Grupo Germano de Sousa's success can best be summed up by its understanding that science and medicine only really progress when technological development is combined with a deeper respect for human values and professional ethics.
read articleInterview
Isabel Capeloa Gil , Rector, Universidade Católica
Having pioneered the introduction of multiple subject areas to Portugal's tertiary education scene, Universidade Católica is aspiring to establish the country's first private medical school and introduce cutting-edge digital transformation.
read articleInterview
Carlos Guillén Gestoso , President, Escola Universitária de Ciências Empresariais, Saúde, Tecnologias e Engenharia & President, Atlantica University
Atlantica University differentiates through its company-university model and an MBA program in partnership with the University of California, Berkley, among other initiatives, to produce practical theoreticians.
read articleFocus: Public teaching staff
An Age-old Problem
Over a decade of austerity measures combined with an ageing population have seen the average age of the Portuguese public teaching staff progressively climb to one of the highest in the OECD. With frozen salaries, an extended retirement age, and precarious working conditions, today the sector faces one of its biggest challenge yet.
read articleInterview
Pedro Queiroz , General Manager, Federation of the Portuguese Agri-Food Industry (FIPA)
Portugal's economic recovery has seen its F&B sector emerge with annual turnovers of EUR16 billion, thanks to FIPA's undeterred focus on stable policies, excellent nutrition standards, and sustainability.
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