Céline BOLLENOT, retrospective of a 32-year career in the Groupe DANONE

"A career path is above all about encounters. Encounters with companies, functions, professions, but also people. Céline BOLLENOT, TBS Education 1990.

It was during her end-of-study internship in BLÉDINA's Human Resources department that Céline realized that she could have just as much fun in a company as in class.

His professional career began at EVIAN. A second step in the DANONE group, which will open the doors of 32 years of career within this one.

Groupe DANONE has 96,000 employees in more than 120 countries with more than 300 brands including Activia, Actimel, Danette, Evian, Nutricia, Blédina, Bonafont...

Retrospective of 32 years of career within the DANONE group:

In 1990: Céline starts as a Saleswoman for the brand EVIAN in the South-East. A job that does not really attract her, but that allows her to start working and to stay in her region.

She was then trained in negotiation, a discipline that is constantly present in our professional and personal lives. For Céline, knowing how to negotiate is one of the keys in life. She also develops humility, an important quality that will be a real strength throughout her career.

In 1992: Céline took charge of training for the EVIAN brand, within the factory. She works on the implementation of an organization project following the 35-hour work week law, directly attached to the HR department. A mission that requires a lot of investment, but that does not prevent her from blossoming, quite the contrary!

In 1998: The HR director of BLEDINA asked her to come back to the factory of BLEDINA Brive on a Supply Chain position. She then became the manager of her former colleagues when she was a trainee, which did not scare her:

"I don't know the technical side of the factory production line, but I know how to lead and manage a team. We will work hand in hand and I will teach you as much as you will teach me."

It was at this point that she really discovered the values of the group: humanism, openness, proximity and enthusiasm, and how they are transmitted. In particular thanks to DWC - Danoners World Cup - an internal amateur soccer competition offered to all DANONE employees worldwide, in which she participated with her team.

In 2000: The project for which Céline worked in the factory obtained positive feedback and had to be deployed on a larger scale in all BLÉDINA structures. She therefore takes the responsibility of the project and, at the end, becomes Supply Chain Director of BLEDINA.

Céline will remain in this position for 6 years, a choice she has taken for granted. She wants to live this experience from start to finish: see the creation of the new organization, its implementation in all departments, the functioning of the processes and correcting mistakes to ensure performance. For her, it is important to take responsibility for the results of her decisions, good or bad, and to correct them in order to reap the benefits with the teams.

In 2007: Groupe DANONE bought NUMICO (a Dutch baby food company) and enabled BLÉDINA, and therefore DANONE, to become the world's number 2 in the baby food market.

To make this merger a success, the entities had to be brought together and made to work together. It was in the context of this integration that Céline left for Amsterdam in 2008, the headquarters of this new division of the Group, where she managed a dozen people as Product Sourcing Director. Curious and motivated, she discovered another culture and above all the international dimension of management, which is sometimes complicated due to the language barrier and cultural differences.

In 2010: Céline is questioning her professional career, the back and forth between Amsterdam and France is becoming a burden. She doesn't really know what she wants to do or where to go. She then sounded out her professional network and HR, asking for positive and/or negative feedback as well as opinions on her orientation to help her in her choice.

In 2011: With the precious advice of her peers, Céline joined a new job, Purchasing, as Category Sourcing Director for the Group's WATER Division.

Another position that allows her to travel all over the world and a new experience that she greatly appreciates! Even if Céline is just starting out in this job, her many years of experience within the group give her a lot of credibility. At the time, she was considered a "chameleon" within Groupe DANONE, capable of adapting to many different environments and professions.

In 2015: new questions about what to do next and yet another project to lead! This time, back to those first loves in HR! The aim was to manage the pooling of support services (HR, finance and general secretariat) for all the French entities. This is a major reorganization project with impacts on employment and on the company's culture. This project will be followed by the geographical regrouping of the entities in Rueil-Malmaison, the new headquarters of Danone in France, for which Céline will ensure the implementation.

In 2019: Following the success of her last assignment, the group offers Celine the opportunity to become Director of Social Relations France. An opportunity she seized and which allowed her to further develop her skills while challenging her. In this position, she will face the consequences of the COVID and another worldwide reorganization of the group with a social plan in France, which she will manage with the social partners.

In 2023: She decides to leave the DANONE adventure after almost 33 years of career to take up new challenges!

Celine never felt like she was making sacrifices, she always thrived and listened to her desires and the opportunities that presented themselves. She was able to say what she wanted, at every step, to keep her needs aligned with those of the company.

"When you have opportunities, it is good not to calculate too much and only ask yourself if you want to". A phrase that has set the pace for his career and has allowed him to evolve continuously.

"Give me a job I love and I'll never work."

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