Case Study:
Danone
Transforming supply chain communication across global teams
The challenge
Danone’s Supply Chain leadership identified a growing need for their teams communicate with greater confidence and impact when managing customer relationships.
Supply chain professionals were regularly handling challenging conversations around stock management, logistics constraints, and service issues, yet lacked the skills, structure and confidence to manage objections effectively and influence positive outcomes.
At the same time, Danone was bringing together three major divisions – Water, Dairy & Desserts, and Nutricia – creating a need for a shared framework and consistent way of working across the newly integrated teams.
We were asked to support this transformation by embedding a common approach to customer communication, influencing, and collaboration across the international supply chain community.
Our approach
We worked closely with Danone’s Supply Chain leadership team to co-design a tailored development programme centred around influencing positive customer change.
We began with a one-day design workshop to identify the critical moments where teams needed to communicate with greater confidence, credibility, and commercial awareness. From this, we created a practical two-day programme that blended core sales and negotiation principles with influencing and change management techniques – all tailored specifically to real-life Danone business scenarios.
To make the learning immediate and relevant, teams participated in role-play exercises, acting as customers in challenging conversations. Team members from different countries and divisions were mixed together throughout the sessions, encouraging collaboration and stronger cross-functional relationships across the wider Danone network.
The results
The programme has delivered a significant increase in confidence and capability across Danone’s international supply chain teams. Participants consistently reported feeling better equipped to manage difficult customer conversations, handle objections effectively, and influence positive change both internally and externally.
The introduction of a shared framework and common language also helped unify teams across divisions, supporting Danone’s transition from siloed operations to a more collaborative “One Danone” approach. The programme strengthened relationships across international teams, creating long-lasting networks and greater cross-functional understanding throughout the organisation.
The impact extended beyond immediate performance improvements. Many participants have since progressed into senior leadership roles within Danone, helping embed the behaviours and approaches developed through the programme into the wider business culture.
“Uspire has become an embedded partner in the way we grow our people. The team is now not only confident in managing difficult customer conversations but also aligned behind a single, powerful way of working.”
Supply Chain Leader,
Danone
