Danone Names Francois Lacombe President of Danone U.S.
The Oikos maker is changing its US leadership as it tries to fix customer service problems that followed a capacity expansion.
Danone has named Francois Lacombe president of Danone U.S. The Oikos maker wants to turn around a region that has struggled to keep up with soaring demand, a top executive told analysts.
Lacombe, who has been improving Danone's Spanish operations, is joining "to really make sure that 2027 looks very different" than this year, said Chief Financial Officer Juergen Esser. "We need to work harder to improve our U.S. performance and regain momentum now that capacity is there," Esser said, adding that the company wants to bring "fresh eyes" to lead the business "in a very offensive and aggressive manner" into 2027.
According to the company, Lacombe has a reputation for operational expertise, turnaround skills and an ability to simplify complex challenges and boost accountability within his teams. A Danone spokesperson told Food Dive that he sees "significant opportunity" in the U.S. to build on the company's portfolio of brands, innovation pipeline, service excellence and leadership in health and nutrition.
Demand outran capacity
Danone's yogurts, including Oikos and Activia, have benefited from the GLP-1 weight loss boom. They are high in protein and portion-controlled, and contain nutrients needed by people eating less because of the medication.
That demand left Danone short of US manufacturing capacity. The company invested millions, expanding a facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and upgrading its yogurt plant in Minster, Ohio. Esser said the ramp-up disrupted the supply chain and caused performance and customer-service problems in North America.
Lacombe will sort out customer service quickly, Esser said, and then lean on an innovation pipeline for 2027 "which we have not seen for years, to be honest."
Who Lacombe is
He joined Danone in 1997 in its water business out of its former Stamford, Connecticut office, and has held senior roles in North America, Latin America and Europe. Most recently he led a turnaround of the dairy and water business in Spain and reversed softer performance in specialized nutrition and plant-based categories. A Danone spokesperson said he will focus on execution, deeper consumer connection and positioning for further growth.
On Wednesday Danone reported 2.4% like-for-like sales growth for North America in the third quarter. Price rose 3%, while volume and product mix slipped 0.6%.
Source: Food Dive