Develop employees through virtual coaching Leading food and beverage company offering health-focused dairy and plant-based products, waters and specialized nutrition. HQ in Paris, France with offices worldwide and a portfolio of international brands sold in 120 markets. The challenge As a global company that specializes in dairy products and yogurt, bottled water and medical nutrition, Danone is constantly developing in a fast changing environment. As a result, they were looking for a learning and development partner that would meet the complex and multi-national needs of their employees and their organization as a whole. “In this hectic world, it is of vital importance for us that we find external partners that can provide us with the right tools to allow our people to grow and develop. One of the things we swear by is good coaching. But this kind of face-to-face coaching can be very expensive. For this reason we started looking at alternative solutions that made coaching more accessible.” Maxime Hollande Learning and Development Manager, Benelux Danone At Danone, there is a great deal of diversity, particularly on the work floor. There are many different nationalities, cultures and languages all working together towards common goals. L&D leadership wanted to find an inclusive coaching solution that could accommodate people’s preferred language, location and schedule. “When we give an employee the opportunity to take advantage of coaching, we want to optimize this experience by finding the best possible match with a coach. So we propose a coach to this employee who preferably speaks the same language and comes from an identical background. Of course, it’s up to the coachee to decide. At the start of a coaching project he or she is given three possible coaches and their biography to choose from. If the right fit is not there, they can opt for someone else.” Maxime Hollande Learning and Development Manager, Benelux Danone The result Because CoachHub’s solution offers one-to-one coaching digitally―as well as over 3,500 certified top business coaches, located on six continents, supporting our clients in over 60 languages―Danone opted to partner with CoachHub. “At Danone, we were looking for a way of working that gave us accessible coaching, both in terms of cost price and in the flexibility of our employees. Via the internet, I initiated discussions with four providers. CoachHub was the best not only in terms of professionalism, they also worked all over the world and make affordable technology available. It was fortunate that we started working with them just before COVID-19. Their approach helped us to remain agile.” Maxime Hollande Learning and Development Manager, Benelux Danone The type of coaching provided in the development process of each individual employee may be about leadership, dealing with change or other topics around management. “In the way we partner with Danone, we are supporting their employees in developing soft skills, which are basically human skills. At CoachHub we adopt a holistic approach in order to help employees grow in their personal and professional domain. For example, we advise leaders in their development to inspire their team.” Jordy Sijmonsma Enterprise Transformation Consultant, CoachHub CoachHub aims to democratize coaching so that the approach can help everyone to become better in their everyday lives as well as more efficient in carrying out their job. “There’s a good fit because of the flexibility we offer. We have coaches available in all cultures and languages and have a global range of people. The cooperation emphasizes the high quality that both Danone and we stand for.” Jordy Sijmonsma Enterprise Transformation Consultant, CoachHub The program started with coaching for a select group of high potential employees and evolved to include more people across the business. Over the years, this number has increased significantly, partly due to the positive testimonials of coachees about their experiences. “Currently we regularly check whether our people are satisfied with how the coaching is going and whether it complies with the norms we’ve set. We have linked KPIs to the project and find that the participants react positively. We measure the satisfaction of the coachee with each session and check that the set targets are met.” Maxime Hollande Learning and Development Manager, Benelux Danone Danone believes in the importance of coaching for the growth and development of its employees. That’s why this multinational company has found a valuable partner in CoachHub.