Pets – dogs and cats in particular – are integral to the daily life of Arnaud Brel (EDHEC International BBA 1995), who for 25 years has been working for Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive. Over the course of his international career in the pet food sector, he has worked in 7 different locations and managed 31 countries. Recently arrived in Italy as General Manager of the local subsidiary, he tells us about this little-known sector and its intricate links with science and humanity.

How would you summarise your current position and responsibilities?

I’ve been General Manager Italy of Hill’s Pet Nutrition since July. My role involves developing our brand presence among dog and cat owners and veterinarians in Italy. We are different insofar as we operate on a premium nutrition market with a range of therapeutic products requiring recommendations by vets. We have also developed food product ranges with a preventive goal. Our brands are available in veterinary clinics, stores and specialized e-commerce platforms.

Where does our need for the company of pets come from?

I believe that animals enrich our lives. Their warmth and presence meets our need for connections and relationships, especially in a society that is increasingly urban and connected. I feel we have moved beyond the notion of an “animal” and now see pets as “companions”.

Demographic factors like declining birth rates and higher life expectancy play an important role. This is one of the few industries, alongside child-focused sectors, where emotions play a central role. There may also be a transfer taking place in our contemporary lives: people are having children later and later, and that lack is compensated with animals. Between 60% and 71% of pet owners see their dog or cat as family members in their own right, or even as children. 

One of the most important consequences of this for our market is the “humanisation” of cats and dogs. This is reflected in the call for new services and additional demands from owners when it comes to food. Some veterinary clinics are now equipped with ultrasound equipment, scanners and blood labs. Very recently, the world’s first hip transplant was carried out on a dog in Dubai. In Australia, a restaurant exclusively for dogs has just opened. Cat Cafés are popping up in countries around the world. In Italy, people bring their pets everywhere they go, even to restaurants. These are behaviours we weren’t seeing five years ago. 

And so the sector has seen steady growth, even in periods of crisis like in 2008 and more recently during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It is often said that pets resemble their owners. Is that also true of their eating habits?

Yes, parallels can be drawn. For example, according to the World Health Organisation, nearly 2 billion humans now suffer from obesity. And obesity is also one of the main problems facing pets. More than 50% of them are truly overweight, with consequences for their longevity. 

But there is one major difference in our eating habits. With premium or therapeutic food products, a cat or a dog can eat the same food two or three times a day for years without ever getting sick of it. It is therefore possible to strike a kind of nutritional balance. This exceeds what we are able to do as humans because we always look for variety in our menu. 

How do you strike the right balance between pleasure for the pet and the master’s needs?

This is a very important area to work on. We can easily develop the optimal nutritional profile for a cat or a dog, but if the product stays in their bowl, then the objective hasn’t been met! In contrast to humans, animals won’t force themselves to eat something they don’t like, even if it’s for their own good. Junk food also exists on the pet food market. Salt, fats and artificial flavouring can be used ill-advisedly to increase consumption. That of course is not our philosophy, so we need to work with a precise selection of high-end ingredients and natural flavourings, as well as production technologies to maximize appetence while respecting the optimal nutritional balance. This is very important to counter the excesses that could cause certain pathologies and require a transition towards dietary products in the long term.

Because animals are more sensitive to taste than humans, does the industry constantly need to create recipes full of flavour?

Yes, innovation is constant but is as much about meeting the expectations of owners as those of their pets. There are cultural differences in the way pets are fed. Italy has a very strong culture when it comes to food and ingredients. Our communication focuses strongly on this, with exclusive ingredients like duck or boar. Italy has one of the highest market penetrations of “wet” food – cans and pouches – as it resembles human food more closely.   

Efforts are being made nowadays on both appetence and appearance. It has become important for the product to look tasty when the owner opens it and for it to inspire confidence in terms of quality. The food product must also be validated visually by the owner, and validated by the cat or dog by licking the bowl clean. 

You’ve worked in various subsidiaries of Hill’s Pet Nutrition. How do you approach each new position?

I have a process of personal development after 25 years in the industry with the same firm. I’ve had the opportunity to hold 9 positions in 7 different countries, and so I draw on and develop that strength with each new role. When I arrive in a new country, my immediate priority is to spend time on the ground in close contact with my staff teams, customers and consumers. Since I came to Italy, I’ve spent more than a month visiting veterinary clinics, stores and adoption centres to assimilate the local culture. This will then allow me to ensure my teams adhere to a roadmap developed together. And lastly comes the phase in which resources are aligned with that strategy, with the changing roles and responsibilities within the teams and our prioritisation in terms of investments. I always have the advantage of arriving with external experience and perspective. I come with a new vision for staff teams who have been working on this market for years.

I also think it’s important to immerse yourself in the culture on a personal level. In the United States, my two daughters took up soccer, and I even started coaching the team! That was a way for me to understand American culture much more quickly. I also had the opportunity to be on the board of trustees at a local animal shelter, which later enabled me to develop connections with various industry players. International experience requires making sacrifices. I see my loved ones much less, but once we arrive in a new place my family and I explore it. We go on road trips to discover unique destinations and develop a connection with both the country and staff, that’s my professional and personal philosophy.

What language do you speak in non-Anglophone countries?

I make the effort to learn the local language. When I arrived in the Benelux region, I didn’t speak Dutch even though I was in a commercial role. After a year I was able to communicate in Dutch with my staff and clients. In Russia I made a huge personal commitment to learn the language. The experience was shorter, but being able to start a staff meeting in Russian demonstrated to the team that I was invested and that I wasn’t there as a mercenary or with a short-term vision. Instant translators will never replace the coffee break or informal chats. I had the chance to learn Italian during my cooperation course 25 years ago and I’ve noticed that I’ve saved a lot of time in my new position in Rome by being able to communicate with people right away.

What factors steered you towards an international career?

I would say my one-year Erasmus exchange in the UK at Sheffield Hallam University, where I really felt fulfilled. International experience and openness, understanding others and different cultures are even more necessary now than 25 years ago. The other major value added of the EDHEC International BBA programme was the opportunity to do internships every year. I was able to test out different industries and work out what I liked the most, the area in which I could see myself develop professionally in the long term. Developing one’s network is underestimated, but it’s a highly important skill in any career, and it’s what has got me to where I am today. It was thanks to my second-year internship that I ended up at Hill’s Pet Nutrition. I also did my cooperation course in Italy because of a final-year internship in the steel industry. And that experience still stands to me 25 years later.

I have also said no to certain opportunities. When I was at head office in Kansas, I was offered another post in a much sought-after destination. I turned down the offer because the project didn’t correspond to my professional and family goals. I took a risk, and shortly afterwards another opportunity arose as General Manager of Central Europe and the Middle East based in Prague. You really need to have a vision and seize opportunities as they present themselves, but turn them down if they don’t feel right. Because if they don’t feel right, you won’t perform well.

How is social responsibility manifested in the pet food sector?

I’m passionate about sustainability, and it is of key importance in our industry. There is “traditional” sustainability, which relates to logistics and ingredients, but then there’s also the adoption of cats and dogs. Shelters house cats and dogs whose owners can’t look after them anymore, whether because of life circumstances or a lack of resources. We need to stop the overproduction of puppies in “puppy mills”, which pose real ethical problems, particularly regarding how the dogs are treated. And we also need to reduce overconsumption of puppies, when there are thousands of perfectly healthy dogs in shelters ready to bring joy into the lives of new owners. In the United States, most new acquisitions of cats and dogs now take place through shelters– my three dogs come from shelters –, but this is not yet the case in Europe. I hope mindsets will continue to change. This is something we are working on with our Food, Shelter & Love programme, which I developed while in the US. It has now gone global, offering help to shelters by providing food to more than 100,000 cats and dogs every day and promoting adoption. It is a scheme and mission that motivates me on a daily basis through the impact it has on pets and society as a whole!

More info about Hill’s Pet Nutrition