Interview with Amélie Vidal-Simi (Masters 1989), Managing Director of Mondelēz International in France

A lot has happened since the 2014 EDHEC Person of the Year award went to Amélie Vidal-Simi (EDHEC Master 1989), when she had just taken over as President of Henkel in France. Since 2021 she has served as Managing Director of Mondelēz International – world biscuit market leader and a major player on the chocolate market – in France, where the agrifood firm has a significant industrial presence, home to 9 factories and its biscuit Research & Development centre for the entire Europe zone. From lengthy careers to changing jobs and the place of women in business, Amélie shares with us her invaluable expertise and convictions about management.

You arrived at Mondelēz International after more than 30 years with Henkel (more than 7 of which as President of its French operations). Did you feel you had seen all there was to see in that position?

I've always felt part of a building process, constantly moving, so I never thought I had seen all there was to see in the firm. I arrived at a point in my career where I had no more scope to progress at Henkel in France, which I was perfectly OK with, until the day I was headhunted! The calendar aspect played an important role, because it was during COVID. We didn't know what the future might hold, and I’m not sure I would have undertaken the move at my own initiative because I was very happy in what I was doing. If I turned down the position, I was afraid I would regret it for the rest of my life! I had a kind of personal conviction that it was the right moment to leave Henkel. Doing 30 years in the same firm is quite unusual nowadays. After 4 years with Mondelēz International, I now think to myself that I should have taken the plunge earlier!

Your position at Mondelēz International is equivalent to what you were doing at Henkel, but without having climbed up through the ranks. Did you experience a “culture shock”?

It is indeed a similar position – in a French subsidiary – but broader and involving more markets. International firms ultimately have a lot in common: digitalization, customer relations, value creation, sustainable development. However, there are cultural differences between a family-owned German firm and an American one listed on the stock exchange. Around the time I was thinking carefully about whether or not to change, one of my former bosses said to me: “You'd be moving from one side of the river to the other. What's challenging is the crossing.” When you've been with a company for 30 years, it's a clear sign that you're fully aligned with its culture. But the opportunity opened my eyes: I still had the possibility of a career move at my age. My fear of changing firms was most likely a kind of impostor syndrome. 

Apart from a managing director role for French and Benelux operations at Henkel, your career has mostly been linked to France. Was that a deliberate choice?

I've had international responsibilities, but always based in France. It was a personal choice as it won't have escaped people's attention that I'm a woman, with all of the difficulties that can entail when it comes to reconciling personal and work life. I've had three children, and I felt it was very important to fully embrace my career as well as my life as a mum. I found that easier to do in France, in an ecosystem I understood, rather than abroad. Many times I have been told that my career would be over if I didn't move abroad. But it kept going! The most important thing in any career is to be clear about your choices and to take full responsibility for them. I have no regrets.

Was it sometimes tricky being a woman in an industrial sector? 

Being a woman never worked in my favour, nor did it work against me. There may have been obstacles to my appointment for certain positions, particularly as commercial director, but that was 20 years ago. I don't think it's an issue anymore. I've seen women overplay the seductive card, or on the contrary try to make people forget that they were women by “transforming” themselves into men. That's not the right approach. Our sensitivities are different and, I believe, balanced. I'm convinced that we carry challenges within ourselves. Women often impose more limits on themselves than men. I've never heard a man say that he wasn't ready for a promotion, although you often see it in women. In my generation, the mental burden of having children remains with women. When I had to choose my priorities, I always asked myself, having reached a certain age and looking back at my life, which would be the moments I would identify as important, and that helps you prioritise. Women are often clearer about their choices than men, because that clarity is often accepted more easily. I'm very much aware that a woman can serve as an example when occupying an important position. As a mentor, I try to demonstrate what can be achieved. 

You often say in the media that you like transparency. What do you mean?

Transparency is multifaceted, but I'm mainly talking about management. I believe strongly in authenticity. Things need to be said frankly. That transparency gives credibility to people's words. I also prefer when people are transparent with me, to better build things together, rather than saying nothing and then having everything collapse mid-journey. Unfortunately, that's not something that is always well developed in corporate cultures. It's not a behaviour that comes easily, and it's up to management to instil it in people. I'm convinced that anything can be said as long as it's said properly. The most important thing is not to wrong-foot people. Indeed, when I know that I'm going to be a bit direct, I always say so in advance. Then people understand that it's necessary and that I'm not on the attack. There's nothing worse than sidestepping an issue because of poor communication, like when an employee finds out at their annual review that things aren't going well, or when they resign because they haven't been told how essential they are. 

And in agrifood, how does transparency for the consumer manifest itself?

Through clarity on our market offer, which is focused on indulgence. The challenge lies in encouraging people to consume responsibly – by serving the right portions, having a balanced snack at the right time – rather than overconsuming. Transparency involves choices that are consistent with the diversity of eating habits and the regulations in force. Our commitments are based on a balanced approach that takes into account the specificities of products and how they are really consumed. Nowadays, there isn't just one consumer profile, but many different expectations and behaviours. Despite robust discourse on corporate responsibility and sustainable development, there can sometimes be a gap between expressed intentions and actual consumer habits.

At Henkel and Mondelēz International, you've represented brands with a strong presence in households. Is proximity to the consumer something that guides you?

Our brands are part of people's everyday lives, they're consumed by 9 households out of 10, but often people don't know that they belong to Mondelēz International! I like seeing the direct effect of what we do. Marketing, which is where I started out, is a lesson in humility: you see what works and what doesn't. The challenge is to continue to convince our current consumers and attract new ones. There is often a tendency to project one’s own thoughts, but all that counts ultimately is what the consumer purchases. Some excellent ideas on paper don't pass the test. You need to ask yourself what is going to make consumers want to “vote” for us every day. You hear a lot in the press about the development of retail brands, said to be the death knell of national brands. But what I see is that consumers continue to be very fond of our brands: it's a mark of quality, proximity, something that's impossible to substitute. Iconic brands like LU, or the return to supermarket aisles of Figolu biscuits following a petition signed by many consumers, are proof of this.

In an opinion piece in late November, you expressed concern about discussions over the social security financing legislation, said to be slowing down foreign investment in French brands. What position needs to be adopted?

Investment in any country is linked to many different aspects, above all its market potential. France is lucky enough to have a major domestic market within Europe, strong consumer expectations when it comes to innovation, as well as highly developed infrastructure and renowned talent. The return on investment of an industrial project is calculated over a timeframe of several years, so it's important to have visibility and stability in the measurements used over many years. We don't live in a bubble, everything has a knock-on effect. A country's attractiveness is measured and evolves in comparison with others. To make a decision on investment, we are necessarily in competition with countries that have different legislative frameworks. I'm in favour of reducing tension, conducting impact studies on the proposed legislation. In my role, it's important to be in contact with our intentional stakeholders, to continue to raise their awareness of the challenges we face.