An overview of recent Big Food splits, including Unilever and Kraft Heinz, exploring whether demergers are strategic growth opportunities or risky moves amid investor skepticism and operational challenges.
Marie-Anne Ambrosi is an accomplished executive with extensive background in consumer products, healthcare, and other industries. She has achieved significant business growth through cross-cultural leadership in France, EMEA, Russia, the UK, and US. As an executive search partner, she uses her business experience and networks to ensure clients have the leadership talent to attain their goals.
Professional Focus
- Over 20 years of experience, including more than fifteen years in corporate roles within the FMCG sector (Heineken, Bacardi) and Healthcare (Johnson & Johnson, Abbott)
- Industry expertise in consumer products, FMCG, and consumer health, as well as healthcare, life sciences, and industrials
- Track record of successful searches for C-level, global director, and other senior executive roles for organisations at all stages of development, from startups to multinationals
- Expertise in talent development, growth strategy, P&L management, key opinion leader networking, go-to-market strategy, innovation, change management, commercial negotiations, business development, and sales & marketing team leadership
- Native French, fluent in English, proficient in German, and notions of Spanish
Business Expertise
- Senior Consultant at a major global executive search and consulting firm
- Marketing Director France at Abbott Diagnostics
- Business Development Manager, France and Maghreb at Johnson & Johnson Vision
- EMEA Business Unit Director Abbott Medical Optics integration at Johnson & Johnson; previously Marketing Director, France-Iberia-Benelux
- Club Ambassador, HR at EDHEC Business School, Greater Paris
- Brand Director, Jack Daniel’s and Get 27 at Bacardi Martini France; previously International Marketing Director, Eristoff Vodka; and Global Innovation Director at Bacardi Global Brands, London
- Marketing Brand Specialist, Campus Services Division at Sodexo, Greater Boston, U.S.
- Senior Marketing Manager at Heineken France, Rueil-Malmaison
Additional Expertise
- Consumer & Retail
- Consumer Products - FMCG
- Consumer Health
- Healthcare & Life Sciences
- Diagnostics
- Digital Health
- Medical Devices
- Pharmaceuticals
- Industrial
Areas of Expertise
Education & Certifications
MBA from EDHEC Business School
Affiliations & Awards
- Board Member, Abbott Diagnostics (2021 - 2022)
- EMEA Board Member J&J Vision Care (2017-2021)
- Board Director, Johnson & Johnson, France and France-Benelux-Iberia (2014 - 2017)
- Business Development Volunteer, Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association HBA (2021 - present)
- Volunteer, French Red Cross
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Boyden places a high-impact R&D executive to drive innovation and transformation across a global consumer goods portfolio
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Perspectives from Boyden’s FinTech Experts
As a family conglomerate grew in scale and complexity, its decentralized structure began to limit alignment. A generational transition created the opportunity to rethink leadership at the group level. Here’s how introducing centralized leadership brought clarity, coordination, and stronger governance.
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Tim Cook’s Apple legacy offers a powerful leadership lesson in succession. A Boyden insight on how operational excellence, not imitation, drove $4 trillion in value.
Unilever’s potential exit from its Foods division could reshape Big Food, triggering supply‑chain shifts, leadership changes, and major competitive realignment.
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