Strategic thinking critical to building sustainable future

Having a strategic vision in place is critical for any company looking to perform sustainably but translating current trends into actionable plans is not always easy At the Future of Nutrition Summit at Vitafoods Europe, Agathe Danjou, global evolution and disruption strategy director at Danone Specialized Nutrition, will highlight some of the macro forces impacting the world of food and healthcare, and help industry identify pathways towards sustained growth

By Anthony Fletcher

Businesses capable of anticipating disruptive change are usually better placed to plan for the future. This means identifying and understanding the underlying macro trends that are shaking up the sector, and putting in place plans to mitigate or take advantage of a changing world.

“At Danone Specialized Nutrition, we take a future back approach to craft what we call a lighthouse, in order to give us a direction to build roadmaps,” explains Danjou. “Key questions we ask ourselves include: What value do we want to bring to society and to people, which will generate growth? Why is it relevant for our business to take this direction? And what could we do differently from the competition that will sustain or bring a competitive edge?”

Disrupting before being disrupted

To keep ahead of the curve, Danjou notes that it is critical for companies to deeply understand their business, as well as the competitive environment beyond their direct competitors. In practice, this means acknowledging key drivers of demand, and understanding what makes their business model successful.

“This is critical to maximise value today, but also to ensure that your business is future fit,” says Danjou. “In addition to identifying current drivers, it is important to build possible scenarios. This means examining the ‘what ifs’ - putting yourself in the mindset of a crisis or challenger, which will make you think differently about solutions and value creation.”

For Danjou, too many businesses have fallen by the wayside, precisely because they failed to anticipate and take action. They might have seen macro forces or technology shifts coming, but didn’t change in time. “It is hard to transition when your company or segment is in the ‘cash cow matrix’,” she acknowledges.

That said, there are companies that have successfully evolved their business model. “These include Nike, with direct-to-consumer sales reaching 37% of their revenue, or Lego, which has reinvented itself through brand purpose, communities, and digital transformation. Those two companies have invested and kept consistency towards their goals over time.”