DSM appoints Gaelle Bathany Director Sustainability

Kaiseraugst, CH, 12 Dec 2017 09:55 CET

DSM’s Personal Care & Aroma Ingredients business unit, one of the industry’s leading suppliers to the personal care, home care and fine fragrance markets, today announces the appointment of Mrs. Gaelle Bathany as Director Sustainability for Personal Care & Aroma Ingredients.

Sustainability has long been the core value at DSM, with a focus on delivering science-based, scalable solutions. The company is committed to meeting sustainability challenges as outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals through collaboration with governments, fellow companies, civil society organizations, and consumers. DSM’s CEO, Feike Sijbesma, not only encourages but embodies the company’s ambitions, leading corporate climate efforts through the World Economic Forum and the World Bank. His motto ‘We cannot be successful nor can we call ourselves successful in a society that fails’ neatly sums up DSM’s approach to this issue, which has already received public recognition. Fortune 500, for example, ranked DSM second on its Change the World list.

In this new position, Gaelle will focus on creating value in sustainability for Personal Care & Aroma Ingredients customers.

Speaking of the appointment, Gaelle says “Sustainability is no longer a choice. It is essential if we are to continue to be viable. We must embed sustainability in our strategy to ensure long-term business relationships with our customers, attract young talents as employees, and help resolve the challenges our planet is facing.

“Our company is actively taking steps to tackle some of the biggest issues in this industry, such as traceability in sourcing, fair trade and ethical production, especially in the context of growing demand for natural and organic products in personal care. In response to the challenge of rising skin cancer rates globally the business is initiating a number of activities to positively impact public health. However, we understand that we are only at the beginning of our journey, and reaching out to our customers to strengthen and align our common sustainability goals is the next logical step.”

Gaelle, a French national, holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemistry and a Marketing degree from HEC Paris Business School. She began her career with Soliance (Givaudan) and went on to hold various leading positions at Univar France and Symrise AG. Hence she brings a wealth of experience in the personal care industry to her new position. Gaelle joined DSM in October 2014 as Head Global Key Account Management for Personal Care, where she was instrumental in driving growth with Personal Care’s global key accounts. Under her leadership, the business built stronger customer intimacy by developing differentiated product and formulation offerings and expanding customer support.