FrieslandCampina is one of the biggest dairy companies in the world, however, as chief executive Hein Schumacher tells ESM, there are still plenty of growth opportunities left to explore. This article first appeared in ESM Issue 5, 2019.
Formed out of the merger of Royal Friesland Foods and Campina 11 years ago, Dutch conglomerate FrieslandCampina is one of the world’s largest dairy companies, with its products exported to more than 100 countries, but – as any major business will tell you – the bigger you are, the more slings and arrows you face, and the company has had to bear the brunt of severe commodity price fluctuations in recent years, not to mention the challenge of growing its global footprint in an increasingly competitive sector.
Hein Schumacher, the former president of Heinz’s Asia-Pacific operations, took charge of FrieslandCampina in 2015 and has rung in the changes in the years since, so much so that the Dutch native believes that 2018 was its “most transformational year to date”, with a series of changes to its organisational structure, entry into new markets, and the implementation of new growth strategies.
