Focusing on the future

Our magazine interviewed Gergely Bálint, Nestlé Hungária’s new director of corporate sales, Mónika Szilva, the new head of the Maggi business line and Gábor Tompa, the company’s new corporate communication and public affairs director.

All three of you have been members of the Nestlé Hungária team for a long time. Can his be one of the keys to the company’s success?

Gergely Bálint: – Nestlé is a company that operates in a complex matrix system, with a large portfolio and strong brands. It takes time for everyone to understand it and control processes efficiently.

  Market trends were changing fast in the last few years. What do you think the biggest challenge is in the food market and the FMCG sector?

G. B.: – At the moment the biggest challenge is that digitalisation speeded up the changes in consumption habits very much. This means that we must react to new needs much faster.

Gábor Tompa: – The real challenge is making our buyers dedicated to living a responsible and sustainable life: there is no point in Nestlé’s using recyclable packaging if it ends up in the waste bin.

Mónika Szilva: – An important task of Nestlé is to teach consumers about eating healthy, and to strive for the perfect product composition when innovating.

  Nestlé products can be found in nine out of ten Hungarian households. Can you improve this market position further?

G.B.: – I am hopeful about the future, as we have innovations planned in each category that can continue the growth trend of recent years.

  How fast can a large international company like yours react to constantly changing market challenges?

G.T.: – Larger companies are adapting slower than startups, but they have other values that are worth building on.

M.SZ.: – It is crucial to develop products that our buyers can integrate into their diets in the long run.

G.B.: –Nestlé has immense research and development potential. For a company of this size it is a must to focus on those trends which offer long-term potential. It is also key to launch innovations that will set new trends.

 How easy is it to utilise the synergies that exist between categories?

G.B.: – Nestlé is present in the Hungarian market with seven business lines. Integrating these is a complex task, but Nestlé’s refined organisational structure and well-trained experts guarantee that a joint strategy can be worked out.

M.SZ.: – We market the products of more than 50 brands in Hungary. We still have a lot of work to do to make shoppers identify all of these with Nestlé as a corporate brand.

 Can we already talk about actual goals for 2019?

G.B.: – Our goals for 2019 are clear and simple. The company’s processes are perfectly planned and the main directions, product launches and strategic elements are set for years in advance.

M.SZ.: – Hungarian consumers like the Maggi brand very much and the brand’s popularity has increased further in recent years. With the Maggi Pár Perces product range anyone can make a hot meal in just a few minutes. Last year we launched Maggi sauces and spice mixes in glass jar packaging – these strengthened the brand further.

CSR work and sustainability are essential parts of Nestlé’s operations…What are your plans this year?

G.T.: – The Nestlé for Healthier Kids programme is given priority in 2019. We also want to help young adults in finding the right job for themselves, and we will work hard on sustainability issues too.

M.SZ.: – It is important to educate consumers about how to eat healthy. For instance on the packaging of Maggi products shoppers can find detailed nutritional information and reference daily intake data.

Many consumers think that FMCG companies should join forces to stop waste production. Does Nestlé have such plans?

G.T.: – Nestlé made a pledge in April 2018 to use only 100-percent recyclable or reusable packaging materials by 2025. A few weeks ago the company published an action plan with product-level commitments. //