Last April, Danone presented its consolidated portfolio in four categories: dairy, plant-based alternatives, waters, baby food and hospital products.

On the occasion of this new product strategy, the company carried out an organisational restructuring, with the implementation of a single management committee. Within this framework, Laia Mas took over the newly created position of Director of Corporate Affairs and Sustainability at Danone.

This executive has been with the company for two decades. At the beginning she held positions of responsibility in the Marketing area and in 2016 she was appointed Director of Public Affairs and Sustainability, functions to which she now adds that of Communication, both internal and external.

Reporting directly to Laia Mas are Marina Tocón, Head of Communications; Alfredo Gazpio, Head of Public Affairs; and Suelen Souza, Head of Sustainability and Nutrition.

The aim of integrating these three areas into a single department is to “unite the corporate vision of all stakeholders, beyond the consumer, with a strategic vision of the four product categories”, as Laia Mas explains in an interview with this newspaper.

“Hinge” of the company

The professional, who sits on the Management Committee of Danone Iberia, maintains that this union of functions “is happening in many companies”. She considers it key to “integrate the management of the external agenda with the internal agenda”. “Getting much closer to society as a relevant company, capturing the social pulse and transferring it internally”. In short, to be the “hinge of the company”, since “my responsibility is to mobilise inside and connect outside”.

Laia Mas stresses in her conversation with this newspaper that the company’s challenge is “to be closer, to talk more. Companies are made up of people. People talk to each other, get to know each other, connect and explain. And to build bridges when necessary”.

One of the company’s most relevant approaches in its relationship with society is focused on sustainability. Here Danone has two fundamental lines: consumer health and environmental care. “This positioning has been with us for a long time”, emphasises Laia Mas. “Fifty years ago, our CEO spoke for the first time in Marseille about the social commitment of companies. It is inherited from a business culture”. For the expert, “it is essential that the CEO is involved in the purpose”, although she stresses that governance of this agenda must be implemented, integrated into the business, and for this multifunctional teams and the availability of dedicated resources are also key.

In this area of the company’s social positioning, Mas is clear that the company “must go ahead of regulation” and “integrate transformation from business operations to have a better impact on society”.

In her new position, she considers it essential to “get much closer to society as a relevant company, capture the social pulse and transfer it internally”.

 

Sometimes, a company’s social positioning clashes with the opinions of part of the public. This is why companies must “have conviction and be courageous”. It is important to “understand that sometimes not everyone understands the path you are taking. We are at a time of building bridges. In this process, not everyone is going to think the same way as you do”, explains Laia Mas.

For the director of Danone, “you have to be brave in the dialogue with opinion groups, even if you don’t think like them, and they don’t think like you. The aim is not to understand each other in everything, but at least to understand diversity. To move away from the black and white that society and the media sometimes lead us to”.

An example of the courage preached by Laia Mas was seen a few weeks ago, with the broadcasting of a Danone campaign for LGTBIQ+ Pride Month. A communication action that generated criticism from minority groups, especially on social networks.

This reaction from certain sectors “encourages you to continue along this path”. In this sense, “employees have to know that this is really being done, it is genuine. The opposite is greenwashing. Criticism “has given us even more courage to keep going. Although hearing such criticism hurts, not as a company, but as a society,” he laments.

Challenges: measuring and regulation

As head of the company’s intangible assets, Laia Mas considers that there are several challenges ahead. One is measurement, an aspect that has always proved to be a handicap for the communication sector. She believes that “there is a lack of metrics”, especially “when you come from the world of marketing, where everything is measured”. “It’s a world to investigate,” she says. For Mas, “reputational impact is not perfectly integrated into results metrics”. He clarifies that “we do measure the reputational impact on certain audiences or on certain topics”, but “linking reputation to performance in the medium and long term is a challenge”, he says.

Another challenge is regulation. Last June, B Lab Spain presented a proposal to the Spanish Congress of Deputies to create a Law on Companies with a Purpose. This initiative, supported by Danone, among other brands, aims to distinguish those companies that voluntarily pursue social and environmental benefits, as well as economic returns, in the exercise of their business activity.

“It is a first big step”, says Laia Mas. “It is essential that consumers understand what they are buying. “It is urgent that the way forward is marked. It is not a question of putting a stamp on perfect companies. We need to recognise companies that are investing effort, time and money in having a measurable and beneficial impact on society and the planet”.