Ignacio focused on sustainability challenges, how positive actions are taking place around the world and changing the way business is being done. He advised the young leaders in the room that there were a number of key issues that they and their companies need to tackle fast.  

On the first day of the FLP Congress in October, CGF Environmental Sustainability Director Ignacio Gavilan began the afternoon with a session on “purpose in action”, alongside Isabelle Grosmaitre, Alimentation Initiatives Catalyst at Danone and Co-Chair of the CGF’s Health & Wellness Steering Committee.

He spoke about the challenges in refrigeration, plastics, food waste and deforestation, and said that companies and leaders should not focus too much on systems and processes. Instead, they should focus on performance and outcomes. He encouraged delegates to ensure there is clear accountability among company departments and to listen to consumers – they trust brands that are transparent, commit and report. Finally, he stressed the importance of collective action and transparency. “It is no longer acceptable to ignore your supply chain”, he said. 

The event, which gathers young leaders from within the FMCG industry each year, saw delegates travel from all over the world to learn what it means to be a great leader of a great company, with emphasis on building leaders for companies with purpose. In total, 130 delegates joined the activities that ranged from CEO presentations, to crisis management workshops to discussions on what it means to be purpose-driven, insights into digital disruption and an exclusive Hackathon.