‘BUILDING A TEAM’
My journey with Rousselot
‘When I first started out, I was an ambitious and serious man, passionate about ingredients and health. I had done internships with ingredients companies and labs. At that time, Rousselot was moving closer to the manufacturing and product side. This, for me, was a real joy: getting to work on innovative ingredients, with a 360-degree view of them, while following the voice of the market. I spent time working to ensure that our products met certain religious standards, developing a global halal policy and collaborating with the relevant international certifying bodies. It gave me a chance to visit all the Rousselot sites around the world, discovering new cultures. Another aspect of my role was working out how to leverage a western brand in different cultures, such as in South Africa.’
Staying one step ahead of market needs
‘In my current role, I take more of a distance from daily operations. My job is to see how and where Rousselot should be developing, and build a strategy for further market penetration. I have to stay one step ahead of market needs, understand what’s coming next, and explore potential new markets or value propositions. For example, some of the key trends in the market today revolve around sustainability and food, like the flexitarian diet. We are watching these trends closely: we want to keep sharing the value of collagen with these consumers, as well as being clear about its role in a circular economy.
Working with talented teams
‘For me, forming my current team for Rousselot Health & Nutrition has been a real highlight. The sense of team spirit and the way we foster that has been exciting to experience. And being able to watch and support people as they grow and develop is very rewarding. When we work together, getting to develop products with our co-branding customers is exciting too. It’s special when you get to see a product up for sale that you’ve worked on: from starting with a blank page, talking to the customer, formulating the product and working on branding ideas, to the final packaging, you finally get to launch it into the world after so much work: it’s always a real achievement.’
A fine balance
‘In our communications, we target both B2B and B2C audiences: we want to help our co-branded customers, supporting them as they produce new market solutions, while also continuing to educate consumers on the value of collagen. That’s the reason we spent redesigning the Peptan.com website, so consumers can learn about collagen, its role in the body, and its benefits, whether or not they have a science background. Of course, we are still a B2B company, but as a leader in the market, supporting our business customers and educating consumers are both part of our strategy.’