INTERVIEW Silvia Sticlea, Nestlé Romania: “We will focus on attracting talented people in the next 3-5 years”

“In 2025 we will continue our long-term strategy, we will focus our growth efforts through our iconic brands supported by a fantastic team and will contribute to the community which we permanently support with educational programs, environmental projects and donations,” Silvia Sticlea, Country Manager Nestlé Romania told The Diplomat-Bucharest.

“In the next 3 to 5 years, we will focus on attracting talented people in our team, on innovating in our categories to bring products in accordance with the fast-moving life we all live in and implement sustainable strategies, in order to reach our 2030 and 2050 goals.”

What were the most significant achievements of your company in 2024?

Nestle Romania reported a growth of 4.5 percent in 2024, in line with our expectations. During this period, we maintained our position in the preferences of Romanians, for which we thank all our consumers and partners.

How did consumer behavior in Romania evolve in 2024, and how did your company adapt to these trends?

Consumer demand is progressing, and we responded with an attractive offering that, combined with the high quality of our products and growing trust in our brands, ensured the results achieved.

What innovations or technological advancements did you implement in 2024?

In 2024, Nestlé Romania launched 40 new products, including seasonal offers such as KitKat, Smarties and After Eight in limited editions for Easter and Christmas.

For coffee lovers, the NESCAFÉ 3in1 Black Roast was launched, notable for the contrast between the intense and rich flavor of coffee, milk, and sugar in its composition.

Another 14 new products were announced under the Maggi brand in the most extensive category refresh of Nestlé’s current portfolio. All Maggi products are made from carefully produced and processed vegetables, and the packaging is made from paper and can be easily recycled.

In the Infant category, six new products were announced: several varieties of desserts and fruit purees for babies under the GERBER brand and whole grain cereals, such as Nestlé Junior Strawberries with a texture containing fruit pieces and cereals, enriched with iron and 12 vitamins and minerals for harmonious development. Each serving for infants and young children ensures balanced nutrition with each bowl. Nestlé supports the World Health Organization’s recommendation for exclusive breastfeeding for up to 6 months and the introduction of diversified diet from this age onwards alongside continued breastfeeding. For diversifying the diet of young children, consulting specialized doctors is mandatory.

Additionally, under the Purina brand, Nestlé launched Purina AdVENTuROS™ Training, dog treats suitable for various moments of the day such as training, walks, and dental health, as well as the new Felix Tasty Shreds range, wet food for cats with essential Omega 6 fatty acids and the right combination of vitamins to help maintain the cat’s vitality and prepare it for new adventures!

What progress have you made towards sustainability goals in 2024?

Nestlé Romania’s initiatives towards sustainability fall into two main directions: people and the environment.

First, to guide people towards balanced consumption, Nestlé has already a series of educational initiatives, from transparent nutritional labelling to nutrition programs in schools and balanced recipes, in accordance with local regulations. Under the global Initiative Nestlé for Healthier Kids, it promotes a healthy lifestyle, and through NutriPlate guide, it provides a method for parents to prepare balanced meals for their families. Through a strict voluntary marketing policy towards children, Nestlé commits not to communicate with children under 16 years of age for the confectionery category or other foods based on nutritional criteria.

Secondly, Nestlé Romania continued in 2024 “Pădurea de Miere”/”The Honey Forest” project, part of the company’s commitment to the environment, planting another 20,000 acacia trees on a four-hectares area in the Chiselet, Călărași county. From 2020 until now, Nestlé Romania has planted 110,000 trees. “Pădurea de Miere” is an innovative concept launched by Nestlé Romania, combining both forest regeneration for better absorption of CO2 from the atmosphere and creation of an attractive ecosystem for beekeeping in our country, as acacia is the main honey-producing forest species in Romania.

Moreover, Nestlé Romania has directly engaged in increasing the understanding of the separate collection symbols on food industry packaging, highlighting the negative impact an improper collection has on the environment and explaining the collection and recycling process of packaging waste through the educational project “ReciCLARea e totul!” in collaboration with Green Resources Management, the National Parents Federation (FNAP) – Edupart, and the District 6 City Hall.

Additionally, in the European Zone, to which Romania belongs, 95.2 percent* of all Nestlé packaging is already designed to be recyclable. By the end of 2023, 82.8 percent* of the plastic packaging of products intended for the European Zone was designed for recycling. In Europe, Nestlé works with other industry players to promote extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and collaborates with public authorities to improve existing packaging waste systems.

What are the key priorities and objectives for 2025? How do these objectives align with the evolving needs of the retail market in Romania?

In 2025 we will continue our long-term strategy, we will focus our growth efforts through our iconic brands supported by a fantastic team and will contribute to the community which we permanently support with educational programs, environmental projects and donations.

What new initiatives do you plan to enhance customer experience in 2025?

The plan for new products launches and marketing activities is very rich this year as well, and we will announce each novelty at the appropriate time, aiming to delight consumers and enrich their experiences with our products and brands.

How do you anticipate that economic conditions in Romania (e.g. inflation, consumer spending) will affect your business in 2025?

Everything that happens around us influences, sooner or later, in one way or another, the activity of any company. Especially the evolution of the economy, which has direct effects on consumers’ purchasing power. Therefore, we must show flexibility and adapt our strategies and tactics to the reality we live in, which may sometimes differ from the initial forecasts. Moreover, we are confident in the power of our brands, the quality of our products that are preferred and chosen by consumers, and also in our operational and execution capabilities.

What challenges do you foresee in attracting and retaining talent in 2025? Are there programs planned to upskill employees or improve workplace culture?

We are running several educational projects in schools, high schools, and also reaching out to students, whom we want to help with career guidance and offer as many development opportunities as possible. For example, projects such as career guidance with Junior Achievement in the last 6 years, a company-wide internship every summer in the last 7 years (Summer’s Cool), frequent presentations at various events organized by student associations, as well as one-year paid traineeships for young people who are just starting out. For our employees, we develop wellbeing programs; in order to improve work-life balance and to make sure our colleagues are happy with the financial and non-financial benefits they receive in our company.

How do you see the expectations of Romanian consumers changing in 2025?

Our consumers have many choices and make their buying decisions based on various criteria, such as balanced nutrition, product and producer sustainability, brand notoriety and preference, and product availability and accessibility.

I would say that this complex picture of the Romanian consumers requires us to innovate a lot in terms of new products, new tastes, new ingredients, innovative promotion etc. On the other hand, there are also established products preferred by consumers, for which maintaining the original recipe is important. In the next years we will see, as we have so far, a combination of current favorite products and innovative products that are making their way into the consumption repertoire.

How does 2025 fit in the long-term vision of your company on the retail market in Romania?

We want to continue to grow in a healthy manner, bringing new products in the market and continuing to create shared value.

Is there a major stage you are working on for the next 3-5 years?

In the next 3 to 5 years, we will focus on attracting talented people in our team, on innovating in our categories to bring products in accordance with the fast-moving life we all live in and implement sustainable strategies, in order to reach our 2030 and 2050 goals.

What advice would you share with other players in the retail sector in Romania as they navigate the future?

Less an advice, more a belief that the work of all players in our industry should and will contribute to the further development of the Romanian economy and society.