"At Bacardi, one of our values is leading by example"
08 de November de 2018
08 de November de 2018
The speaker Javier Pijoan, the Managing Director for Iberia at Bacardi, gave an overview of how the spirits company has evolved from the time he arrived through to the present day, which has involved a significant transformation process based on recovering a fairly dispersed company culture. Two years ago, Javier joined a company making financial losses, with seven management changes over a period of 10 years and a serious identity crisis. In response, he drafted a cultural transformation plan in which people would become the epicentre of the organization.
The 2022 plan designed by Pijoan and the Management Team is based on development as a team underpinned by a culture of leadership and a winning mindset. The key values advocated include "our people as part of our success. They can be no business plan without a people plan, as they are at the heart of the organization". With this in mind, in contrast to what had happened in previous years, the Director explained that the employees make decisions, give their opinion and are kept informed of the company's situation at all times.
On this issue, the Managing Director for Iberia at Bacardi emphasized that one of Bacardi's values is conduct, "through leading by example, with natural leadership, which requires honesty and transparency". In this respect, the Management Team always considers "how we can help to sell more to our employees". As far as Pijoan is concerned, there is no point asking which department does what, but the right question is who does what and who takes charge when things go wrong, because our strategies are carried out by people.
The value of diversity, greater transparency and communication
Bacardi's Managing Director is committed to diversity, which forms part of the 2022 Plan, "because it helps us to grow and enriches us". 46% of Bacardi Management Team are women, with members from 25 countries, while 35% of employees are women and 30% are millennials.
He went on to highlight that the new Management Team has created a new internal and external communication plan. "It is a matter of reconnecting with people". On this issue, Joan Pijoan gave the participants an overview of what is involved in the Bacardi Experience corporate events with all the employees, organized in a different setting (a country house), with discussions and dynamic activities focusing on how the company can be changed.
Springboards for improving the company's reputation
Javier emphasized that, within the communication plan, they had to make a significant transformation because there had been a number of crises in terms of the company's reputation. Therefore, they focused on both external and internal communication. The Management Team took the lead, appearing in the media to share their ideas and empathize with the target market. They also changed headquarters. "We outsourced the production centre, which was outside of the city, and now we only have offices in Plaça Catalunya, with an open and dynamic work structure". They are also drafting a corporate dossier and creating a new website for Bacardi Spain.
With respect to external communication, to promote innovation, Bacardi has started working with the Adrià brothers, Ferran and Albert, and have created the world's first cocktail workshop: Bacardi Innovation Lab. This is a clear demonstration that the company is looking outwards. "For a long time, we were looking inwards but, to innovate, it is important to look outwards", explained Javier Pijoan.
Growth and Talent Incorporation
All these measures have enabled the company to grow again in terms of sales. "We are back on the right track, but we haven't resolved all the previous problems yet, nor do we expect to in the short or medium term". However, Pijoan is sure that they are not going to change their values to achieve short-term results. In addition, new staff members and a great deal of new talent has been incorporated.