Director of Corporate Strategy

FrieslandCampina is one of the largest dairy cooperatives worldwide, co-owned by its 14,634 member dairy farmers. Recently, the company set out on Expedition 2030 with a vision of increased profitability and sustainable growth. The Director of Corporate Strategy drives the strategy across all business groups and regions, helping the executive team and board set priorities and the long-term investment agenda.

About FrieslandCampina

In 1871, Dutch farmers decided to join forces in a cooperative to strengthen their market position and ensure sales of their milk. Today, FrieslandCampina is still co-owned by the member farmers with branches in 29 countries. The company’s brands of dairy products reach consumers through supermarkets and other stores in more than a hundred countries through marketing and sales offices, partners, and distributors. FrieslandCampina also offers brands to food service professionals and industrial companies. Across brands and regions, the company strives to Nourish by Nature: to provide better nutrition to the world through its contributions to food safety and food security, provide a good living to its farmers, and take responsibility for maintaining the natural living environment.

FrieslandCampina continuously strives to deliver superior value to the farmers in the cooperative. Faced with challenging market conditions, the company embarked on the strategic program Expedition 2030. The changing times called for a sharpened strategy and reshaped operating model, resulting in seven business groups that each focus on specific customers, products, brands, and markets. Improvements in the volume mix, inventories, and cost savings have already led to significant growth in its operating profit, which increased to 301 million euros in the first half of 2024.

FrieslandCampina employs almost twenty-one thousand people across its global locations. The company culture is deeply rooted in its origins, with cooperation at its heart. Employees contribute to the bigger picture with enthusiasm and commitment and like to take ownership. The small and highly effective Strategy team sits at the core of the company’s decision making in the Amersfoort headquarters and plays a critical role in FrieslandCampina’s growth and success.

Vacancy: Director of Corporate Strategy

The Director of Corporate Strategy drives the development and implementation of FrieslandCampina’s corporate strategy to future-proof the company across business groups and regions. They facilitate decision making for the Executive Board and the Executive Team by structuring the process and building upfront alignment of the involved stakeholders. The Director translates the Expedition 2030 vision into strategic priorities and the long-term investment agenda with a comprehensive cross-business perspective.

Next to overseeing the annual central resource allocation, the Director of Corporate Strategy is a highly visible sparring partner of the members of the Executive Board and the Operating Committees within the business groups. They drive strategic initiatives to capitalize on new opportunities and address long-term challenges. This includes scenario planning for market developments, improving profitability, supporting sustainability strategies, and defining turnaround plans for underperforming business clusters. They also manage external consultancy support and maximize impact by guiding and supporting the process from start to finish.

“The Director of Corporate Strategy is pivotal for our growth strategy. Their cross-business vision helps FrieslandCampina invest in the right opportunities to set us up for a successful future.” – Jan Derck van Karnebeek, CEO

The Director of Corporate Strategy reports to the Global Head of M&A and Strategy, Edward Holtzer, and works directly with the Executive Board and Team in tandem with the Global Head. Their highly effective agile team consists of a strategy manager and two analysts. The Director also works closely with the M&A team to analyze opportunities and in multidisciplinary teams with experts from Corporate Finance, Global Supply Chain, R&D, and Cooperative Affairs to drive projects and ensure strategic alignment.

FrieslandCampina offers exceptional levels of support for cross-disciplinary movement within the company. Leaders in the function of Director of Corporate Strategy have a consistent track record of growing into pivotal roles in the company, such as Managing Director or member of the Executive Team.

This is an exciting opportunity for a senior leader coming from strategic consulting with outstanding conceptual and analytical skills and a knack for building deep relationships within the organization. The visibility at board level and immediate impact of the strategic work are highly rewarding for a professional looking for a pivotal role in a purpose-driven company like FrieslandCampina.

Interested? 

FrieslandCampina is working with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
To express your interest, please contact Roland Vetten and Imke Peters at roland.vetten@topofminds.com and imke.peters@topofminds.com.