Interview with Fanny Jeuland-Tintorini (PGE 4), Supermarket Sales Director France at Vandemoortele: an exemplary international career among the major players in the food industry.

A graduate of Rennes School of Business Class 4 in 1996, Fanny Jeuland-Tintorini embodies boldness and determination in the competitive consumer goods sector. With a career punctuated by international experience and challenges successfully met, she is now a member of the Executive Committee of Vandemoortele, a major European player in the frozen bakery, viennoiserie and patisserie food industry. As head of the supermarket sales department, she shares her career path, which has been rich in learning, and gives valuable advice on how to build a fulfilling career.

A demanding start to forge her character

As soon as she entered Rennes School of Business, Fanny inherited her parents' passion for international trade. On leaving school, she set her sights on large companies and joined the Mars group as a sector manager. ‘It was a great international company, and the job was a formative one: I spent my days visiting shops, re-implanting shelves at night, and was often unwelcome. But the experience forged my character and gave me invaluable local knowledge." There she learned sales and negotiation techniques, while quickly expressing an interest in international assignments, particularly in Italy. "I applied for a transfer to Italy, as a Regional Key Account Manager. I learnt how to negotiate in Italian, how to rephrase things to get what I wanted and how to assert myself in an environment that was still very male-dominated".

Her rise continued at Danone in Italy, where she became the first woman to hold a national Key Account Manager position. "In 2002, it was a very male-dominated environment. The people I spoke to weren't used to seeing a woman in that role, but it enabled me to take on challenges and earn their respect".

Negotiation expertise and an international outlook

In 2004, Fanny left to explore new horizons with another major producer, Bacardi. There she managed international accounts and honed her negotiation skills. She managed relations with Carrefour, Bacardi's main international account, for which she trained and supported teams in a number of countries, including Russia, Poland and Brazil. "The key to successful negotiations? To be ultra-prepared! I carefully analyse consumer trends and look for compromises. You also need a lot of composure and active listening skills to understand the person you're negotiating with."

The Carrefour group then offered her the chance to join it on the retail side. A major project was in the pipeline: negotiating with major suppliers on a European scale. "In Europe, the same product could be sold at very different prices in different countries, because each market negotiated its own price. My job was to train and coordinate the negotiating teams in the various countries involved, and to co-lead the negotiations. Moving from an industrial perspective to that of a distributor required me to radically change my approach to the business."

For ten years, she worked with many countries, including Asia, Latin America and the Middle East, and spent three years in France as a Category Manager, before leaving Carrefour in 2018 for a new adventure.

Fanny first turned to consulting, before joining General-Mills/Yoplait as Director of National Customers and E-commerce. In this role, she helped turn around sales in France at the head of a team of 32 employees, in a multi-category format (yoghurt, ice cream, groceries), while managing E-commerce, which grew from 7% to 12% of sales in 3 years.

In 2022, Fanny took over the supermarket sales department of a leading European food company.

"Three years ago, following the General-Mills/Yoplait split, I wanted to move into a Sales Director role so that I could play a real part in steering the company's strategy. So I jumped at the chance to join Vandemoortele's Executive Committee as Supermarket Sales Manager’" A Belgian family business founded in 1899, Vandemoortele is the European leader in the B-to-B frozen bakery market (production and sale of bakery, Viennese pastry and patisserie products). With sales of €1.9 billion and 4,080 employees, this major player in the sector is continuing to grow outside Europe.

"My mission is to ensure the profitability of the Retail sector in a context marked by high inflation in raw materials. In 2023, for example, the price of butter and wheat rose by 30%. By 2025, we are once again faced with soaring prices for butter, cocoa, fruit, etc. Together with my team, our role is to pass on these increases in a well-considered way, while innovating to offer attractive, high-quality products. With less data than in the FMCG sector, I often have to work on instinct, relying on our excellent brand image and the loyalty of our customers."

At Vandemoortele, Fanny Jeuland supervises a team of 4 key accounts, a 22-strong field sales force and 4 culinary advisers, who are essential in this market where the product remains at the heart of all exchanges. As a member of the Executive Committee, she oversees sales of 300 million euros and 130,000 tonnes of products, mainly bread, Viennese pastries and galettes des rois, as well as two national brands, Doony's and Lanterna. Her responsibilities cover retail strategy, responsibility for P&L, identifying growth opportunities, steering annual negotiations and sales force action. ‘Vandemoortele is growing steadily, with very strong ambitions for development. This growth is achieved in particular through acquisitions (recently, the group bought a company in the USA and one in Italy). Even though the group remains entirely family-owned, international development is accelerating rapidly and we are constantly transforming ourselves in order to be ever more efficient’.

Leadership based on values and commitment

Fanny makes it a point of honour to remain true to her values. "It's essential to be able to look at yourself in the mirror. You have to dare to say what you want and act in accordance with your principles". She also attaches great importance to the development of her teams. "What drives me is to help my staff develop, to spot talent and offer them opportunities."

She particularly encourages young graduates, especially women, to assert themselves in their careers. "Women still don't have the place they deserve in the COMEXs of major French groups. They need to dare to take the initiative, trust themselves and follow their instincts."

Learning to see far and aim high

" My passion for international trade comes from my father, who worked in the tiling industry. We regularly had German and Italian brand representatives over for dinner. He always told my sister and me: ‘Don't think France, think Europe’. Today, I say to my daughter: ‘Don't think Europe, think World’. Together we travel a lot to cultivate this thirst for discovering as many countries and cultures as possible."

Fanny sees a promising future for the industrial bakery sector. ‘The shortage of labour in supermarkets and the difficulty of attracting young people to the demanding profession of baker mean that industrial solutions, offering equivalent quality, are becoming increasingly attractive". Vandemoortele, with sales of €2 billion, aims to double in size over the next ten years. The company is investing heavily to innovate and meet market expectations, particularly in terms of sustainability. ‘We are aware of our impact. We are working on low-carbon solutions, exploring plant-based alternatives to butter and ensuring that farmers are better paid. Our aim is to reconcile economic performance, growth and social responsibility."

One last piece of advice for a successful career

For Fanny, the key to a successful career lies in curiosity and adaptability. "Start in large groups to train, then explore less standardised environments with less professional teams. You'll learn quickly and make a real impact. And above all, develop your network: you can never succeed alone."

Vandemoortele, which has its head office in France 25 minutes from Rennes, regularly takes on students on work placements or internships. They can send their applications via our e-mail address: rh.torce@vandemoortele.com