Strategic Innovation Associate and Food Risk Specialist

Meet Cristina

Cristina grew up in Venezuela, where she worked for more than a decade at the largest Non-Government Industrial Corporation in the country (Empresas Polar: beer, wine, soft drinks-PepsiCo, Foods, and household categories, >30000 employees and operations in various countries). As a leading food technologist Cristina has worked across multiple food groups as a food science consultant, food technology and project consulting in food production.

Cristina grew up in Venezuela, where she worked for more than a decade at the largest Non-Government Industrial Corporation in the country (Empresas Polar: beer, wine, soft drinks-PepsiCo, Foods, and household categories, >30000 employees and operations in various countries).  Working in the developing world meant dealing with high instability, so she learned to deliver value through uncertainty and ambiguity, and to deal effectively with risks by resourcefulness and creativity.

Knowing how to translate risks into opportunities, she took a leap of faith and moved with her family to Australia in 2013. Shortly after, she joined Simplot Australia as their Corporate Quality, Technical and Risk Governance Manager, where she successfully led Food Safety and Risk Governance, Scientific and regulatory affairs, Nutrition, and voice of consumer.

At Prof Consulting Group we all believe that companies make a conscious choice to grow regardless of external pressures, Conscious leadership being essential to remain on that growth trajectory. We are delighted to welcome Cristina to the team as she also has these essential characteristics.

Cristina is driven by a sense of curiosity and impatience, with a passion to help people and businesses achieve a better future. Her expertise in innovation, R&D, regulatory affairs, corporate and risk governance, commercial strategy in local, global, and private label categories, have helped define company pathways to commercial success. Her approach is human- and design led- centric. Is your business ready for 2023 and beyond?

The Prof. Consulting Group regularly looks at ‘what comes next’. As we say those managing today rarely have time to look at the future. We believe that the only wrong decision, is not making one. Cristina is expertly placed to help you with your brand growth and risk strategies through her lens.

Recognising that timing is everything in this market, seeing the gaps for growth, understanding the volatility of the consumer and the erratic shopping behaviours, but at the same time feeling confident that you can succeed under turmoil and adapt to these ever-changing dynamics is crucial to finding where to play and how to win.  Change is the only thing that is certain in FMCG.

The need to understand our audience and know where their interest is; how do they understand and see your marketing strategies? Are you telling a story or selling a hype?  The ability to align with your chosen retailer’s strategy, delivering a customer focused solution not a product. The most humanised brands are the ones defined by their ability to build great relationships with the consumers. Cristina can help you use your road map to define your brand and over the long-term strong omni-channel customer engagement.

  • Merchandising and New Product Launches
  • Risk Strategist/Management
  • Innovation and Development
  • Food Safety Governance
  • Commercially Strategic
  • Nutrition and Health
  • Crisis Management
Cristina

In our ever-changing, always surprising food landscape, we need to be able to anticipate and adapt, understand risks as well as opportunities, understand scientific knowledge as well as consumers’ needs and desires. Translating all these factors into commercially sound, sustainable solutions for every business is how we add value. I am excited to be a translator in Prof’s team.”

– Cristina Lesseur

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