Diversity is a rich vein to explore

SOURCING AND RECRUITMENT

- In France, for the first time as part of sourcing for Nuit UniverSell (recruitment of sales people) candidates were selected without CVs and without covering letters through an anonymous questionnaire.
- Several partnerships with different associations, including: “nos quartiers ont des talents 93”,IMS, AFIP, Phoenix and sponsorship initiatives (HEC business school preparatory classes at Lycee Michelet in Vanves, Missions Locales, PASS pour le SUP to facilitate access to higher education for young people in BTS (BAC+2) agricultural training and Tremplin (advice to young disabled graduates). These initiatives are already producing promising results;
- A convention was signed with the UFR in economic science and management in Paris XIII (Villetaneuse) to welcome students for work experience courses, contributing to getting exposure for our profession through interventions in programmes and participation at the employment forum, Forum Emploi.
- Danone signed the Espoir Banlieue Plan in November 2008 and committed to increasing the percentage of young people and trainees from districts covered by the municipality’s policy from 8 to 10% over a period of 3 years.
- In ltaly, Danone Italy has taken part for the second consecutive year in a recruitment forum targeting those who may be discriminated against and signed the Italian government’s Diversity Charter.

In France, all subsidiaries signed the government’s Diversity Charter in 2006 and committed to action plans. Danone France and Blédina signed a parentality charter, thereby committing to better work/life balance, and reserved places in inter-enterprise crèches for parent employees.

An initial survey to obtain a snapshot of implementation of the Diversity agreement worldwide was carried out in June 2009 on a global basis, and presented at the annual meeting of the CIC (the group’s information and consultation committee) in Geneva:

Amongst the good practices identified:

• The sexual equality agreement at Danone Spain with the introduction of an equality monitoring   committee and the involvement of operational managers.
• A parentality programme set up in Danone’s Polish subsidiaries, which has received an award   from the trade union Solidarnosc.

TRAINING

- Diversity and anti-discrimination training, sign language workshops and awareness-raising about   disabilities have targeted several hundred employees.

- Several agreements have been signed on equality between men and women, the integration of the   disabled and seniors etc.... at Blédina, Danone Eaux France, Danone Produits Frais France and at the   group’s headquarters.

WOMEN

27% of Danone employees are women at all levels of the company;
Women represent 24% of OETAMs (office and supervisory staff) and 43% of managers (compared to 35% 6 years ago).
Managers:

- There are more women in the medical food units (58%) and infant food units (45%), but they   are generally under-represented in the “traditionally masculine” professions (maintenance,   production, etc.).
- The R&D function is the one that has seen the greatest progression of women managers (from   49% to 56% over a period of 4 years).
- The highest proportion of women amongst managers is to be found in Western Europe (50% in    France) and in Eastern Europe (47%) compared to 35% in Latin America and 21% in Africa and   the Middle East.

11% of general managers are women (this figure has been stable for several consecutive years).

There has been a woman member of the Executive Committee since 2008 and one member of the Board since April 2009.

In March 2009 for the first time, the Danone Women Leadership LAB was held in Evian. The session brought together 80 women and men from Danone who have worked on the theme of male and female leadership. The outcome was two workgroups, one on careers and the other on development tools to enhance self-confidence, mentoring, training and networking with an initial set of positive experiments which will be presented at the second edition of these meetings planned for June 2010.

Actions implemented in 2007/2008/2009 for women managers:

• Training in women’s leadership (over 100 women are being trained).
• Mentoring (50 or so young women are having mentoring with older men or women mentors in   the organisation, including members of the COMEX).
• For the fourth consecutive year, we have a cross-company mentoring programme in partnership   with IBM.
• 5 women’s networks meet at regular intervals on themes identified beforehand, thus creating   links of proximity, self-help and solidarity.

AGE

Action plans and/or agreements were introduced in 2009 in all French subsidiaries to meet the requirements of new legislation on seniors.

A “senior handbook” guide prepared by Danone and taken from good practices by HALDE, allows factories to anticipate problems linked to population ageing in factories by carrying out a practical diagnostic followed by an action plan.

The age pyramid is very different from one country to another.

- 53% of employees, of all levels, are under 35 (45% for managers and 54% for shop floor   workers, office staff and foremen).
- The managers are youngest in Eastern Europe and South America.
- In Asia-Pacific and Latin America the average age of shop floor workers and office workers is   the lowest, with 60% and 65% respectively of shop floor workers, foremen and office workers   being under 35.

PEOPLE OF DIFFERENT ORIGINS, CULTURE AND TRAINING BACKGROUND

In France:
Partnerships to promote professional integration of young people

- Lycee Michelet in Vanves (sponsorship of young grant holders in preparatory classes for the   leading business schools).
- “Nos quartiers ont des talents”(advice and networking for young graduates from poorer   quarters looking for their first job).
- The local Belliard mission as part of the “Coup de Pouce” network at head office which has   accompanied over 400 young people, generally immigrants, in their quest to enter working life.
- The TREMPLlN association which promotes networking between companies and disabled people   to encourage their professional integration.

These sponsorships also allow employees to work more closely with the real world and understand the aspirations of young people.

Example of results:
- Young graduates from University now represent 18% of our recruitment (compared to 9% in 2005), in   particular amongst sales staff.

At group level, objectives have been fixed to better balance local resources (recruitment, training and mobility within the same region)vs. French expatriates.

DISABLED EMPLOYEES

In 2008, Danone was the first company on the CAC 40 to open up its consumer call centre to the deaf and hard-of-hearing via a body (Caro Guide) using sign language. This first year generated more than 300 calls, such that the opening times had to be extended in 2010. This initiative, which also allows disabled people to gain qualifications, was praised by the Employment Minister, Mrs Nadine Morano, Secretary of State for families and solidarity, and Mr Eric Woerth, Employment Minister, who visited the interface platform in 2010 and watched a demonstration.

A network of disability mission Project Managers meets every month to exchange and organise shared initiatives (e.g. participating in recruitment forums dedicated to the disabled).

Diversity is expressed at Danone through the introduction in numerous countries of flexible organisation (Acceleration Units, Task Forces, overlays, shared services) which combine managers of different nationalities, starting with management committees, where Spanish people work alongside Czechs, Americans, Turks, etc.
Integration of new medical and infant food activities has accelerated this internationalisation process. Thus, we now have:

- 55% of non-French general managers, representing 25 different nationalities, with English and   Dutch nationalities coming in 2nd and 3rd positions respectively.
- 50% of MDs have a dual experience (mostly marketing and sales).
- Almost 700 managers work outside their country of origin, representing 51 different   nationalities, and 20% of them are women (with an upward trend since 23% of the 200 new   mobility cases over the last year have been women).

Over a period of 2 years the satisfaction rate on the issue of diversity amongst employees having answered the survey (anonymous survey run by ISR every two years, which received responses from 55,000 employees in 2009) has increased by 17 percentage points.

- 77% satisfied in 2009 compared to 60% in 2007.
- High progression on equal opportunities between the sexes and origins (83% of satisfied   respondents) and a very small increase on the age issue.