Danone: Three new Directors proposed for election at 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting

Press Release – Paris, February 24, 2022

Three new Directors proposed for election
at 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting

Danone is pleased to announce that three senior executives will be proposed as new independent members of its Board of Directors.

In April 2022, and subject to the approval of the 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting, the Board of Directors will welcome:

• Patrice Louvet, currently President and Chief Executive Officer of Ralph Lauren;
• Géraldine Picaud, currently Chief Financial Officer of Holcim;
• Susan Roberts, PhD, professor of nutrition at Tufts University and co-director of the Tufts Institute for Global Obesity Research.
  
  

These appointments will complement those of Valerie Chapoulaud-Floquet and Antoine de Saint-Affrique, also presented to the 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting. By 2023, the Company will have renewed the totality of its Board of Directors, with the exception of Gilles Schnepp and the two Directors representing Employees, as announced in July 2021.

At the end of April 2022, and subject to the approval of the 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting, the Board will consist of 12 Directors, reaching 80% independence and gender parity; 60% of Directors will be CEOs and ex-CEOs, and 40% of them will have a non-French nationality.

Gilles Schnepp, Chairman of the Board said:

“The decision to propose the appointment of Patrice Louvet, Géraldine Picaud and Susan Roberts is another step forward for Danone and its Board renewal. They will bring their experience, as well as their internationally recognized expertise in Consumer Goods, Health and Nutrition, Sustainability, Finance and M&A. I would like to thank them, on behalf of the Board of Directors, for their engagement and look forward to working with them.

Last year as a Board we made clear our commitment to ensure our composition would comprise the right blend of capabilities, perspectives and experiences to support Danone’s performance. The appointment of Valerie Chapoulaud-Floquet, announced last December, and the proposed appointment of Patrice Louvet, Géraldine Picaud and Susan Roberts announced today deliver on that commitment.

Today’s announcement marks another milestone for Danone, ahead of the Company’s Capital Market Day on March, 8 and 2022 Shareholders’ Meeting on April, 26.”

APPENDIX

Danone Board renewal – Reminder

On July 29, 2021, Danone announced the complete renewal of its Board of Directors: all current Directors – with the exception of Gilles Schnepp and the two Directors representing Employees – will be leaving the Board of Directors by the 2023 Shareholders’ Meeting.

In the meantime, Danone will propose the election of new, externally-recruited Directors, with the objective of constituting a more independent and compact Board of Directors featuring the right blend of FMCG-experience, capabilities and perspectives.

Biographies

Patrice Louvet is President and Chief Executive Officer of Ralph Lauren Corporation. Since joining Ralph Lauren Corporation in 2017, Mr. Louvet has initiated the company’s digital transformation and brand elevation strategy worldwide, step-changed its international and direct-to-consumer retail expansion, while further embedding citizenship and sustainability into the iconic brand’s business. Prior to Ralph Lauren, Mr. Louvet spent nearly three decades in leadership roles across three continents at Procter & Gamble. He led and grew multi-billion-dollar global consumer brands – ranging from Gillette to Pantene and SK-II – across diverse distribution channels and geographies.
A French and American national, Mr. Louvet graduated from the École Supérieure de Commerce de Paris, received his MBA from the University of Illinois and served in the French Navy as Naval Officer, Admiral Aide de Camp.
He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Hospital for Special Surgery, the Private Group Bacardi Limited and the National Retail Federation and is on the CEO Advisory Council of the Fashion Pact, a coalition committed to advancing environmental sustainability in the fashion and textile industries.

Géraldine Picaud has been Chief Financial Officer of Holcim (then LafargeHolcim) since January 2018. Ms. Picaud joined the Group from Essilor International, a CAC 40-listed ophthalmic optics company, where she was Group CFO. Prior to that, she was CFO of Volcafe Holdings, the coffee business of ED&F Man, an ingredient and commodity company notably specializing in agricultural products, coffee, sugar and animal feed. Prior to that she led the Corporate Finance and M&A function at ED&F Man.
Before joining ED&F Man, Ms. Picaud spent thirteen years at international specialty group Safic Alcan, as Head of Business Analysis and as CFO. She started her career with audit firm Arthur Andersen.
Ms. Picaud graduated from the Superior School of Commerce of Reims and holds an MBA. She is a non-executive Director at Infineon Technologies AG.

Susan B. Roberts, PhD, is a professor of nutrition at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts, professor of psychiatry and scientific staff member in pediatrics at Tufts University School of Medicine, and co-director of the Tufts Institute for Global Obesity Research.
Dr Roberts is an internationally-recognized nutrition researcher who brings advances in nutrition science to support healthy eating and weight management worldwide. As part of her work she is co-leading a consortium of scientists to understand the physiology of the weight-reduced state and co-leads a new International Weight Control Registry which is collaborating with scientists in 19 countries to identifying successful weight management practices in different cultures.
She did her PhD training in nutrition at the University of Cambridge, UK, holds UK and Canadian citizenships and is a U.S. permanent resident.
Dr Roberts has published over 280 research papers in research journals including the New England Journal of Medicine and JAMA. She has sat on national and international committees for dietary recommendations including a recent congress-mandated evaluation by National Academies of Sciences to improve the process of developing Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

About Danone (www.danone.com)

Danone is a leading global food and beverage company building on health-focused and fast-growing categories in 3 businesses: Essential Dairy & Plant-Based products, Waters and Specialized Nutrition. With its ‘One Planet. One Health’ frame of action, which considers the health of people and the planet as intimately interconnected, Danone aims to inspire healthier and more sustainable eating and drinking practices. To accelerate this food revolution and create superior, sustainable, profitable value for all its stakeholders, Danone has defined nine 2030 Goals, and paved the way as the first listed company to adopt the “Entreprise à Mission” status in France. With a purpose to bring health through food to as many people as possible, and corresponding social, societal and environmental objectives set out in its articles of association, Danone commits to operating in an efficient, responsible and inclusive manner, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations. By 2025, Danone aims to become one of the first multinational companies to obtain B Corp™ certification. With more than 100,000 employees, and products sold in over 120 markets, Danone generated €23.6 billion in sales in 2020. Danone’s portfolio includes leading international brands (Actimel, Activia, Alpro, Aptamil, Danette, Danio, Danonino, evian, Nutricia, Nutrilon, Volvic, among others) as well as strong local and regional brands (including AQUA, Blédina, Bonafont, Cow & Gate, Horizon Organic, Mizone, Oikos, Prostokvashino, Silk). Listed on Euronext Paris and present on the OTCQX market via an ADR (American Depositary Receipt) program, Danone is a component stock of leading sustainability indexes including the ones managed by Vigeo Eiris and Sustainalytics, as well as the Ethibel Sustainability Index, the MSCI ESG Indexes, the FTSE4Good Index Series, Bloomberg Gender Equality Index, and the Access to Nutrition Index.

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