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Danone S.A.

Packaged Foods and BeveragesFounded 1919
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Leadership History

Danone: CEO History

4 leaders · 1973 to present

Who is the CEO of Danone?

Antoine de Saint-Affrique is the CEO of Danone, in the role since 2021. The first chief executive was Antoine Riboud, from 1973.

Current CEO
Antoine de Saint-Affrique (since 2021)
First CEO
Antoine Riboud (1973)
Leaders documented
4
Founded
1919
NameRoleFromToYears in role
Antoine de Saint-AffriqueChief Executive Officer2021Present5
Emmanuel FaberFormer CEO and Chairman201420217
Franck RiboudFormer CEO and Chairman1996201418
Antoine RiboudFormer CEO and Architect of modern Danone1973199623
Who was CEO of Danone before Antoine de Saint-Affrique?
Emmanuel Faber was CEO of Danone from 2014 to 2021, before Antoine de Saint-Affrique took over in 2021.

Company Overview

Danone S.A. is one of the world's largest food companies by sales, headquartered in Paris and led by CEO Antoine de Saint-Affrique since September 2021. Its mission is 'bringing health through food to as many people as possible'. In 2020 it became the first listed French company to adopt 'Entreprise a Mission' status, and in 2025 it achieved worldwide B Corp certification. It employs almost 90,000 people. The company is headquartered in Paris, France.

Antoine de Saint-Affrique

Chief Executive Officer

2021 – Present

5 years (current)

Key Decisions & Impact

Became CEO on September 15, 2021 and launched Renew Danone: a category-by-category portfolio review, reinvestment in core brands, sales of weaker assets (Horizon Organic and Wallaby in the U.S., the Russian dairy business) and bolt-on deals in health platforms such as Kate Farms (2025), The Akkermansia Company (2025) and Huel (2026).

Legacy

Under his leadership like-for-like sales growth returned to the 3-5% range with positive volume/mix, recurring operating margin rose from 12.2% in 2022 to 13.4% in 2025 and recurring EPS reached EUR3.80. He previously ran Barry Callebaut (2015-2021) and spent about 25 years at Unilever.

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Emmanuel Faber

Former CEO and Chairman

2014 – 2021

7 years

Key Decisions & Impact

CEO from 2014 and also chairman from 2017, Faber led the 2017 WhiteWave acquisition and made Danone the first listed French company to adopt 'Entreprise a Mission' status in June 2020, writing social and environmental objectives into its bylaws.

Legacy

Faber was praised for ESG leadership but criticized by activist investors such as Bluebell Capital and Artisan Partners for lagging sales growth, margins and share-price returns versus Nestle and Unilever. The board removed him in March 2021.

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Franck Riboud

Former CEO and Chairman

1996 – 2014

18 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Son of Antoine Riboud, he ran Danone from 1996 to 2014 and narrowed the group to health-focused categories, selling beer (Kronenbourg), glass packaging, cheese, sauces and, in 2007, the LU biscuit business to Kraft, while buying Royal Numico for about $13.9 billion (EUR12.3 billion).

Legacy

He pushed Danone deeper into emerging markets in Asia, Latin America and Africa and co-created Grameen Danone Foods with Muhammad Yunus in Bangladesh in 2006.

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Antoine Riboud

Former CEO and Architect of modern Danone

1973 – 1996

23 years

Key Decisions & Impact

Founder of glassmaker BSN, he moved it into food and drinks with Evian, Kronenbourg and Bledina in 1970 and merged it with Gervais Danone in 1973. In a 1972 speech in Marseille he set out the 'dual project' of economic and social progress.

Legacy

He turned a regional glass manufacturer into one of France's largest food groups, and his dual-project idea still frames Danone's mission status and B Corp certification.

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Challenges & Strategic Context

Key pressures include European private-label competition in yogurt, a soft North America performance in late 2025, falling birth rates in China and Europe for infant formula, milk, packaging and energy inflation, currency swings, and integration risk from the Kate Farms and Huel acquisitions.

Danone CEO and Leadership FAQ

Who is Antoine de Saint-Affrique and what is his background as CEO of Danone?

Antoine de Saint-Affrique has been CEO of Danone since September 15, 2021. Before Danone he was CEO of chocolate maker Barry Callebaut from 2015 to 2021 and spent about 25 years at Unilever, including as president of its foods business.

What major accomplishments define Antoine de Saint-Affrique's leadership at Danone?

Since 2021 he has launched Renew Danone, returned the company to positive volume/mix growth, sold U.S. organic dairy and the Russian business, lifted recurring operating margin to 13.4% in 2025 and added Kate Farms, The Akkermansia Company and Huel.

Who was Emmanuel Faber and what was his tenure as CEO from 2014 to 2021?

Emmanuel Faber served as CEO of Danone from 2014 to 2021 and Chairman from 2017 to 2021. Faber was an internationally acclaimed ESG champion who led Danone's WhiteWave acquisition, pioneered the 'Entreprise à Mission' legal status, and spearheaded B Corp certification before stepping down following activist investor pressure.

Who was Franck Riboud and what was his impact as CEO from 1996 to 2014?

Franck Riboud, son of Antoine Riboud, was CEO from 1996 to 2014. He sold beer (Kronenbourg), glass packaging and the LU biscuit business (to Kraft in 2007) and bought Royal Numico, refocusing Danone on dairy, water and specialized nutrition.

Who was Antoine Riboud?

Antoine Riboud (1918-2002) built glassmaker BSN into a food group, merged it with Gervais Danone in 1973 and set out the 'dual project' of economic and social progress in a 1972 speech in Marseille.

Who serves as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Danone?

Gilles Schnepp, former chairman and CEO of Legrand, has chaired Danone's board since March 2021, when the board separated the chairman and CEO roles after Emmanuel Faber's removal.

Who serves as Chief Financial Officer of Danone S.A.?

Juergen Esser is Danone's Deputy CEO in charge of Finance, Technology and Data and acts as the group's chief financial officer.

What governance practices characterize Danone S.A.'s Board of Directors?

Danone's board is chaired by independent director Gilles Schnepp and, as an 'Entreprise a Mission', the company has a Mission Committee that monitors progress on its social and environmental objectives.

Why was the CEO of Danone fired?

Emmanuel Faber was fiercely ousted in 2021. While he was highly praised globally for his extreme focus on climate change and social justice, activist investors ruthlessly argued that he was completely ignoring the company's stagnating stock price, dropping sales, and bloated management structure.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.