Proudest career moment? Summing up dsm-firmenich in four words

Defining the future of dsm-firmenich

There are many things in my career that I look back on with pride, but perhaps the greatest of these is the recent work I did as Global VP of Cross-Segment Marketing for Human Nutrition and Care where a new brand and value proposition for the recently formed dsm-firmenich was created.

To be able to bring together two companies with such a rich heritage and create a path forward that celebrates the best of both – that was something I will never forget. What made the project even more special was collaborating with so many amazing brand experts, both at dsm-firmenich and in our external agency.

 

Bringing progress to life

How can you sum up a company as complex as dsm-firmenich in just a few words? That was the challenge we set ourselves as part of our branding project. To find answers, we interviewed many, many people inside and outside the business and asked them what they thought about our company. And, with the help of our external branding agency, we managed to condense all those findings into one short phrase that captures exactly who we are and what we’re trying to do. That phrase is "We bring progress to life".

It's a phrase that speaks to all parts of our business. Across health, nutrition and care, we work with our colleagues, partners, customers and other organizations, combining all our know-how to do good in the world and make sure people have what they need to develop and grow.

Senses of purpose

One thing that has always driven me throughout my career is my preoccupation with the senses and how they connect to health and wellbeing. Take perfumery, an area I spent 18 years working in. I think there is a very strong link between what you smell, and the parts of your brain linked to memories and emotions. More recently, I worked in the field of taste, where I became absolutely fascinated with how we can help people eat more healthily by reducing sugar, salt and fat in processed food.

We are a category of one

Is there another company like dsm-firmenich? I can’t think of one. Our ability to combine all that knowledge and heritage from the world of health with perfumery and beauty and taste – nobody else can do that.

The other thing that differentiates us is our willingness to walk the talk on sustainability. As a marketer, I know we have so many proof points in this area, including all the awards we’ve won and partners we’ve worked with, whether it’s the World Food Program, Gates Foundation or UNICEF.

Collaborative to the core

If there’s one element of our culture that really stands out for me, it’s our commitment to collaboration. The teamwork here is incredible, and we are all so willing to support each other’s success. It’s something I hear over and over again from new joiners – they just can’t get over how helpful everybody is.

Our work environment plays a key part in it. Where I’m based, in Kaiseraugst, we have an outdoor nature space, a coffee area looking in to our labs, a reception area with sofas – all places designed for face-to-face conversations and highly conducive to collaboration and innovation. It’s a wonderful environment to work in.