ANNE VAN DE POEL AND BONDUELLE’S JOURNEY TO SUPPLY CHAIN INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
ANNE VAN DE POEL AND BONDUELLE’S JOURNEY TO SUPPLY CHAIN INNOVATION AND SUSTAINABILITY
When it comes to supply chain management, a blend of operational efficiency, innovation, and sustainability is paramount. Anne Van de Poel, Bonduelle’s Supply Chain & Integrated Business Planning Director for Northern Europe, is a leader who exemplifies this very fusion of priorities. With a career spanning across sales and supply chain management, Anne brings a distinctive approach to her leadership at Bonduelle, driving continuous improvement while staying true to the company’s core values of sustainability. Under her leadership, Bonduelle has not only streamlined its operations but has also become a leader in environmentally responsible business practices.
Bonduelle, a family-owned company with over 170 years of history, is a global leader in the production of plant-based food products. Known for its commitment to delivering healthy, high-quality ready to use vegetables, Bonduelle offers a diverse range of frozen, canned, and fresh products to consumers worldwide. With a strong emphasis on sustainability, the company has made it its mission to inspire healthier eating habits while protecting the planet. From its European operations to its global reach, Bonduelle’s supply chain is designed to align with its environmental goals, ensuring that every step, from sourcing raw materials to delivering finished products, supports a more sustainable future.
BONDUELLE
PROJECT DIRECTED BY: JESS COLLINS ARTICLE WRITTEN BY: ELOISE PERRY
Anne Van de Poel, Bonduelle’s Supply Chain & Integrated Business Planning Director for Northern Europe.
Secure, Fresh, and Green: pioneering a new era in logistics
At Jan de Rijk Logistics, they don’t just move goods, they deliver confidence. With more than five decades of experience as an independent leading logistics provider, this family-owned company has mastered the art of transporting products securely, maintaining freshness, and prioritizing sustainability.
When cargo demands precision and care, they ensure secure handling every step in the supply chain. From packaging and order picking to advanced tracking technologies, they leave nothing to chance, so clients can trust that their products will arrive safely and on time.
Freshness is their promise, especially when it comes to sensitive goods like fresh produce. Their temperature-controlled solutions guarantee that products retain their quality, no matter how complex the journey. And they don’t stop there. In a world increasingly focused on environmental impact, they’re committed to delivering green solutions. By reducing emissions through optimized routes, investing in energy-efficient vehicles, and the usage of HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), they help their clients meet their own sustainability goals. Together, they’re shaping a greener future for logistics.
Secure, fresh, and green isn’t just their tagline, it’s their promise to clients. Whether transporting fresh peas or high-value goods, Jan de Rijk Logistics ensures every shipment exceeds expectations. Experience logistics that protect products, brands, and the planet.
Jan de Rijk Logistics. That’s how. www.janderijk.com
Anne Van de Poel: A Journey from Sales to Supply Chain Leadership
Anne’s career trajectory is a testament to her adaptability, vision, and leadership acumen. Her journey began at CocaCola, where she gained a wealth of experience in sales, quickly rising through the ranks from Key Account Manager to National Key Account Manager. This early introduction to retail and out-of-home customers, provided Anne with invaluable insights into customer needs and the dynamics of customer-centric thinking. As she navigated the world of consumer goods, Anne developed a strong foundation in negotiation, collaboration, and result-oriented strategies. However, her interest in supply chain management led her to explore roles beyond sales.
Anne’s transition from sales to supply chain management came when she joined Mars Wrigley, where she led local teams in master data management, customer service, and demand planning. It was here that Anne became passionate about breaking down silos between departments and improving customer satisfaction through integrated supply chain processes. She also gained global experience, developing strategies for end-to-end planning and working with emerging markets like India and Brazil to enhance their planning capabilities.
Since joining Bonduelle three years ago, Anne has been at the forefront of driving supply chain excellence across Northern Europe. Her leadership spans demand planning, Integrated Business Planning (IBP), customer service, masterdata, logistics and warehousing. With a team of 15 full-time employees in her direct scope, Anne works across the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg), UK, and Nordic regions, collaborating closely with different departments and functions to ensure Bonduelle’s supply chain operates as a unified and efficient force.
Anne’s leadership approach is grounded in a “future-back” mindset. She believes in starting with a clear vision of where the company wants to go and building
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strategies that are aligned with that vision. This perspective is vital in the fast-paced world of supply chain management, where disruption and volatility can easily derail progress.
At Bonduelle, Anne ensures her teams are not just executing daily tasks but are motivated by a broader strategic vision. She invests time in explaining the company's long-term goals and illustrating how each team member contributes to achieving these objectives. "It starts with visualising what that North Star is," she explains. "If people understand the purpose and the bigger picture, they are more likely to embrace change and work towards innovative solutions."
To facilitate collaboration and foster a culture of innovation, Anne holds regular working sessions, focusing on translating strategic goals into practical, day-to-day actions. Simple dashboards with leading and lagging KPIs ensure that every team
member can track progress, identify issues, and take corrective actions when needed. Anne also empowers her team by making them responsible for their own targets, offering them the freedom to experiment and learn from mistakesan essential component of innovation.
The importance of upskilling and continuous learning is a cornerstone of Anne’s leadership. She and her management team regularly coach employees on how to prioritise innovation, manage change, and collaborate across departments. They focus on practical methods for overcoming challenges, such as storytelling and role-playing, to help teams internalise new ideas and behaviours. As Anne notes, "You have to make sure people see the value in what they’re doing, and that they are supported to grow and innovate."
Bonduelle’s Sustainability Commitment and B Corp Certification
Sustainability is not just a buzzword at Bonduelle; it is deeply embedded in the company’s mission and values. As a family-owned company, Bonduelle has long embraced the idea of contributing to a more sustainable world by promoting plant-based diets for the health of both people and the planet. This commitment is reflected in the company’s products, which are centred on vegetables, and their recent achievement of B Corp certification, which recognises companies that meet high standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. Anne plays a pivotal role in ensuring that sustainability is incorporated into Bonduelle’s supply chain operations. She works closely with vendors and suppliers to ensure they align with Bonduelle’s sustainability objectives, and she champions long-term partnerships that prioritise environmental responsibility. "We collaborate with partners who share our values, and we expect them to meet the same high
standards that we set for ourselves," Anne explains.
One of the key initiatives within Bonduelle is the focus on reducing waste and optimising logistics. Bonduelle’s supply chain team works closely with partners to reduce agricultural losses at the source and minimise waste across the entire logistics process. By collaborating with food waste initiatives and focusing on regenerative agriculture, Bonduelle ensures that its products are sourced and produced in an environmentally responsible manner. Regenerative agriculture, which reduces water usage and prevents land degradation, is integral to Bonduelle’s farming partnerships.
Balancing sustainability with operational efficiency is not without its challenges, as Anne admits. Sometimes, environmentally-friendly solutions can be more costly or less efficient. However, Anne and her team leverage Bonduelle’s Integrated Business Planning (IBP) processes to assess the impact of decisions on both sustainability and efficiency, ensuring that the company’s goals remain in harmony. "We make sure we review the impact of our decisions and scenario plan for both sustainability and efficiency," Anne says. "In this way, we make sure we’re moving forward in both areas, even if sometimes we need to adjust our approach."
Strategic Partnerships and Innovation
For Bonduelle, long-term partnerships are key to driving both innovation and sustainability within the supply chain. Through strategic collaborations, Bonduelle will be able to digitise its operations and incorporate new technologies, making its supply chain more efficient and environmentally friendly.
One of Bonduelle’s notable partnerships is with Jan de Rijk , a logistics provider in the Benelux region with focus on
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secure, fresh and green. Jan de Rijk, like Bonduelle, is a family owned company with a strong heritage. They are Bonduelle’s logistics partner for the ambient vegetables. Both companies share a commitment to sustainability, and their collaboration has focused on reducing CO2 emissions and exploring new methods of transportation, such as bio-diesel trucks. Anne highlights the value of open communication with Jan de Rijk, saying, "We have open discussions about what we want to achieve and what is realistic. It’s about finding common ground and working together to solve challenges."
Bonduelle also engages in partnerships that encourage innovation in supply chain processes. By leveraging predictive analytics and real-time tracking, the company has streamlined operations, improved visibility across its supply chain, and made smarter, data-driven decisions. Anne believes that digital transformation is one of the greatest opportunities for Bonduelle moving forward. "Digitalisation is not the goal—it’s the enabler," she notes. "It’s about using technology and data to solve key business challenges and improve efficiency."
The Future of Bonduelle’s Supply Chain: Embracing Digitalisation and AI
Anne sees AI and digitalisation as crucial tools for transforming the supply chain in the years to come. "AI will be key to making our supply chain more integrated and efficient," she explains. "It will reduce non-value-added work and allow teams to focus on tasks that add greater value." Data analytics and machine learning will enable smarter, faster decisions that will benefit both the company and its customers.
However, Anne acknowledges that the journey towards greater digitalisation is not without challenges. There is a need for a clear strategy that aligns technology with business goals, and this requires a mindset shift across the organisation. "The goal is not to digitise for the sake of it," Anne says. "We need to be clear about what problems we’re solving and how digital tools can help us achieve our goals."
Anne Van de Poel’s leadership at Bonduelle has been marked by a forward-thinking approach that integrates operational efficiency, innovation, and sustainability. Through strategic partnerships, a focus on digital transformation, and a commitment to environmental responsibility, Bonduelle is positioning itself as a leader in both the food industry and supply chain management. Anne’s background in sales, combined with her deep understanding of supply chain operations, has allowed her to drive positive change and create an organisational culture that embraces innovation and collaboration.
As Bonduelle continues its journey towards greater sustainability and supply chain excellence, Anne’s leadership will undoubtedly remain a driving force behind the company’s success. Her commitment to fostering a future-oriented, data-driven, and environmentally responsible supply chain is setting a new standard for how businesses can lead with purpose and create lasting impact.
www.bonduelle.com
