Lactalis and the conquest of the world

Lactalis has been one of the most successful French companies over the last decade, securing its place as the global leader in the dairy-product sector.

This outstanding growth - with turnover increasing from 8.5bn € in 2009 to 22.8bn € in 2020 once their latest acquisitions are taken into account – is due to the strategies and management techniques employed by just one man. He is Daniel Jaouen who has been with Lactalis for over thirty years and ran the company from 2009 to 2020, heading up a fantastic team.

This book includes all the adventures Daniel Jaouen went through while taking Lactalis to the top. He reveals clearly, country by country, how the company has managed its global expansion.

This book also serves as a from of management guide. How can you make entering markets, which are so economically and culturally different, a success? What are the key factors which have contributed to this achievement? How do you cope with all the challenges that working in the food industry throws up – simultaneously managing human, economic, political, health and ecological factors?

Daniel Jaouen also sheds light on the role of shareholders in the company’s accomplishments, an interesting example where everything is controlled by a single family — the Besniers —well-known for their legendary discretion.