Lawyer and Journalist to Leadership

Anne-Claire Berg strives to ensure that the multinational corporation Danone lives and breathes its dual mission of creating both economic and social value. Anne-Claire combined her work with an Executive MBA, so that she could contribute to driving change with partners in a more impactful way.

The following is based on an interview with Anne-Claire for HEC Paris. At the time of the interview she was General Secretary, UK and Ireland, Danone:

LESSONS LEARNED FROM LAW AND JOURNALISM: TAKE TIME TO REFLECT TO IMPACT MORE

Anne-Claire Berg enrolled in the HEC Executive MBA to improve her skillset and broaden her horizons.

I see my career as a pebble that creates a ripple effect on my team, my company and on society. You leave a legacy behind you. To increase the effect, I needed to hone my skills. I took on the Executive MBA to help make me, my team, our work and the company vision, stronger and our actions more impactful.

Anne-Claire started her career as a lawyer and became a journalist before working for Danone. She says, “I trained both to understand regulations and tell stories. I believe that these are powerful tools that drive change and can help make lives better. I use them now at Danone. The EMBA acted as a catalyst, giving me the time to think about the kind of leader I want to be, and how I can continue making a difference.”

LESSONS LEARNED FROM THE EMBA: UNCERTAINTY SHOULD BE EMBRACED

The Executive MBA gave Anne-Claire a safe place to reflect on failure. As she explains it, “I kept hearing: ‘Don’t be afraid of failing, just fail fast and forward. If you don’t fail, then you have not tried hard enough or stretched yourself enough.’ I believe this is the recipe needed to unlock impact.”