GLOBAL CATEGORY DIRECTOR

Foodservice is FrieslandCampina’s third largest business unit, with Debic and Lattiz as their flagship brands. Debic is a premium brand with high-quality ingredients, using cream as a base. Almost no chef in The Netherlands can live without it these days. It’s time to expand on the European position and move into the Asian market. As for Lattiz: it’s an entirely new product with the same kind of potential as Nespresso. For Lattiz, it’s not about coffee, but rather about milk foam. As a coffee place or business, with Lattiz at your disposal, you no longer need a barista to prepare the perfect cappuccino or latte. The great thing about this position is the depth of what it offers: on the one hand it’s a leading product, on the other a corporate start-up willing to think outside the box.

WORLDWIDE LEADER IN DAIRY

FrieslandCampina produces household name dairy products. Ranging from Campina milk to Mona desserts. From Chocomel (the one and only) to Milner cheese. And from Friesche Vlag coffee milk to Optimel drink yogurt. Millions of people worldwide use FrieslandCampina’s products on a daily basis.

The company’s turnover is currently over 12 billion Euros, with close to 24 thousand employees worldwide. This makes it the world’s largest dairy cooperation. The cooperative aspect is what makes FrieslandCampina extra special. The dairy farmers are not just suppliers, they also have a stake in the business. This way, both parties profit from mutual long-term success: the farmers get a fair price, and FrieslandCampina is guaranteed a constant supply of high-quality milk.

FOODSERVICE: HIGH QUALITY PRODUCTS FOR PROFESSIONALS

Consumers aren’t FrieslandCampina’s only target group: they also supply their products to the hospitality industry and food producers, from restaurants to bakeries. These professionals put their faith in FrieslandCampina’s top-notch ingredients when preparing the most delicious dishes for their customers. Ingredients such as cream, ice cream and milkshake mixes, filling, sauces, and special butter.

Foodservice is an important sector for FrieslandCampina. It’s the third largest business unit and it ranks top two with regards to growth potential. The Foodservice department in its current state has only been in place since April 1st of this year. As part of a bigger transformation within FrieslandCampina, it’s been separated and continues as a separate global business unit in order to maximize its potential.

The potential for growth stems from two very different concepts: Debic and Lattiz. The new Global Category Director will play an integral part in realizing this growth. He/she will become part of the Foodservice management team, with Roger Loo as Managing Director. This team is responsible for FrieslandCampina’s worldwide turnover.

THE VACANCY: GLOBAL CATEGORY DIRECTOR

The new Global Category Director’s task is clear: increasing Foodservice’s turnover from 600 million to 1 billion over the next few years.

“What makes the role of Global Category Director so interesting, are the two totally different concepts he/she gets to work with. On the one hand with the professional dairy brand Debic which needs to be rolled out worldwide and on the other with Lattiz, the revolutionary concept for milk-based coffees. For Lattiz, the sky is the limit, but currently, it’s still in the start-up phase.” – Roger Loo, Managing Director Foodservice

It’s up to the Global Category Director and his/her team of about 25 FTU to successfully build up both concepts, Debic and Lattiz, in order to realize that strong ambition for growth.

DEBIC: GEOGRAPHICAL EXPANSION BY INVESTING IN DIGITAL

For FrieslandCampina Foodservice’s customers, Debic stands for high quality and ease of use. This proposition helped Debic in conquering a market share of about 80 percent. In several other European countries, the brand is also making a name for itself. However, continued growth has proven to be a challenge, because sales lean on intensive contact with the customer. A dynamic broadly applicable in the B2B FMCG segment.

It’s the Global Category Director’s task to further expand by launching relevant innovations and investing heavily in digitalization. Digitalization makes communication more effective and more efficient, which makes the business more easily scalable. This way, they can quickly tap into new markets, and the restaurants’ and bakeries’ difficult to access long tail can be serviced more easily.

An important growth market for Debic is Asia. There, the same will be the case as for the European customers: as soon as chefs have worked with Debic, they’ll never want to work with anything else. This is the result of excellent quality, ease of use, and proactive innovation.

LATTIZ: A START-UP FROM TECHNOLOGY TO FINAL PRODUCT

Lattiz is still in i start-up phase. The goal is to increase the current turnover tenfold. And the product certainly has that kind of potential. Lattiz is a unique piece of equipment with protected technology allowing you to produce the best milk foam with just the push of a button. You no longer need to be a trained barista to make the perfect latte or the perfect cappuccino. It’s ideal for the hospitality industry and other businesses.

The Global Category Director is responsible for the worldwide rollout of Lattiz. In doing so, he/she has many strategic decisions to make. For Lattiz, it’s not about selling milk, but rather about the equipment. This offers a lot of possibilities. FrieslandCampina can market the Lattiz themselves, or they can choose to pursue partnerships, with large coffee roasters for example.

The Global Category Director is truly focused on the entire product: from building the equipment all the way to the cup of coffee in the café. He/she thinks about distribution channels, quality assurance, concept development, and technological improvements to the equipment based on user feedback.

CUSTOMER INTIMACY: INNOVATE TOGETHER WITH THE CUSTOMER

An important pillar of success for Foodservice is innovation. They don’t just innovate for the customer at Foodservice, they innovate together with the customer. From individual restaurants to large, industrial bakeries, like Bakkerswereld. When a restaurant chain needs a type of cream that doesn’t separate until higher temperatures, they will work on the development of exactly that alongside the customer.

Of course, FrieslandCampina also keeps on innovating independently. Continued innovation is essential for a brand like Debic to ensure worldwide success. One of Foodservice’s goals is to inspire chefs. Product developers, for example, ask themselves: what will someone like Sergio Herman, a top chef, need two years down the line? What kind of new products? What type of innovative qualities?

Because of their specific approach regarding innovation, FrieslandCampina’s products are an inspiration for chefs, and in turn, the chefs’ questions inspire FrieslandCampina’s innovative efforts. Together with product development and based on these insights, the Global Category Director’s team constantly develops new propositions.

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CANDIDATE’S PROFILE

For this role, we look for candidates with extensive experience in management positions in Marketing and Category Management. Knowledge of the industry (Foodservice, FMCG or B2B) is a bonus, just like experience in marketing company equipment (for example in the hospitality industry) and building partnerships. Knowledge in Digital will provide an edge to be successful in this role. Strategic capacity, entrepreneurship, and international experience are also vital. Furthermore, cooperation, both internally as well as with customers, is important for this position.

Because FrieslandCampina is going through a transformation, and since Foodservice as a global business unit is relatively new, the Global Category Director, besides his/her commercial tasks, also plays a central role in shaping the department and positioning the department within FrieslandCampina’s organization. Experience in change management will be of great use here.
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FrieslandCampina works with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy. Contact Janko Klaeijsen at janko@topofminds.com for more information.