Podcast Summary: In Good Company with Nicolai Tangen

Episode: Givaudan CEO: The Art of Perfumery, Creating Iconic Scents and Building a Caring Culture

Date: February 18, 2026
Guest: Gilles Andrier, CEO of Givaudan
Host: Nicolai Tangen

Main Theme

This episode delves into the world of Givaudan, the global leader in flavors and fragrances, through a conversation with CEO Gilles Andrier. Nicolai Tangen explores how Givaudan creates iconic scents, the creative and business processes behind perfumery and flavors, and the unique company culture that’s been cultivated over 20+ years of Andrier’s leadership.

1. Introduction to Givaudan and Its Purpose

[00:01–01:23]

• Overview: Givaudan is the world's leader in flavors, tastes, and smells, serving a B2B model (not a consumer brand, but present in many everyday products).

• Purpose Expansion:
  “We wanted to expand beyond just the world of fragrances and flavors… to make consumers happier and healthier.” – Gilles Andrier [00:54]

• Importance of Smell and Taste:

  • Humans are biologically wired for smell and taste—they are survival tools and deeply connected to memory and emotion.
  • “Bitterness is poison, foul is not good for you… sweetness is, calories is better for you. It’s about energy… the cornerstone of what we do.” – Gilles Andrier [01:31]

2. The Creative Process of Perfumery

[02:46–13:27]

The Brief & Ideation

• How New Scents Are Created:

  • Givaudan receives competitive “briefs” from clients (e.g., Tom Ford) to create new fragrances.
  • The process is collaborative, sometimes co-developing the brief with clients to define target consumers and brand fit.
  • “Any brand has almost like an olfactive signature. It smells like Tom Ford, it smells like Gucci.” – Gilles Andrier [05:19]

• Perfumers as Artists:

  • Givaudan employs ~200 perfumers worldwide, with select ones working on fine fragrance briefs.
  • The process mirrors advertising: defining a brand and distilling it into an “olfactive message.”

Trends and Self-Expression

• Fragrance Trends:
  • “An enormous trend around gourmand [scents]… fueled by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, expressing themselves with multilayering fragrances.” – Gilles Andrier [06:55]
  • Newness comes from both trends and novel ingredients.

Lab Process

• How Perfumes are Formulated:

  • Perfumers “write” formulas like music; their palettes may include 500–1500 ingredients.
  • Samples are blended, smelled, and iterated, often involving evaluators who bridge client expectations and creative output.

  “It’s like a musician, you can read the notes and feel in his head what it’s going to look like.” – Nicolai Tangen [09:34]

• Internal Competition:

  • Multiple perfumers and evaluators may compete internally to maximize creative outcomes.

Testing & Launch

• Client and Consumer Feedback:
  • Clans (client-side experts) participate in selection.
  • Some scents are consumer-tested, others launched on conviction, with debate on whether testing helps or hinders originality.
  • “Most of the big successes, maybe were never tested, because actually the only way to create something very different is not to have consumers smell things they are used to.” – Gilles Andrier [11:39]

3. Predictability, Surprises, and Market Dynamics

[13:17–17:44]

• Predicting Success:

  • Poor consumer tests predict failure, but good tests don’t guarantee success.
  • Memorable Example: Red Bull “had one of the worst test results ever… and is now the second best-selling beverage in the world.” – Nicolai Tangen [14:02]

• Biggest Surprise Hit:

  • ‘Angel’ by Mugler, a polarizing ‘gourmand’ perfume, is now “the mother of many other fragrances” despite a slow start. [14:26]

• Innovation & Ingredient Trends:

  • New molecules like Akigala Wood have catalyzed entire fragrance trends.

• Market Churn:

  • The fine fragrance market has high churn, with 25% of sales from new scents annually.
  • Old classics (e.g., Chanel No. 5) remain, but newness dominates market growth. [16:19–17:44]

4. The Role and Traits of Perfumers

[18:08–20:22]

• Givaudan’s Perfumery School:
  • “40% of all perfumes sold in the world were created by perfumers coming from the school of Givaudan.” – Gilles Andrier [18:28]
• Skills Required:
  • Beyond a good nose: resilience, perseverance, and high creativity are key due to frequent competition and rejection.
  • “As an individual perfumer… you’re going to lose a brief nine times out of ten… so you need resilience, persistence.” – Gilles Andrier [19:09]

5. Flavors: Process and Innovation

[20:22–24:56]

Application Differences

• Fragrance and flavor creation share creative DNA, but flavors affect foods, beverages, and packaged goods, restoring “top notes” lost in processing.
• “Most of what you experience in the taste are the top notes, the volatiles…” – Gilles Andrier [21:23]

Notable Examples & Health Focus

• Client confidentiality is strict, but notable collaborations include Snapple’s beverage innovations.
• Givaudan works on taste modulators to help reduce sugar, salt, and fat in foods, enhancing health while preserving appeal.
• “If it doesn’t taste good, you’re not going to do it a second time.” – Gilles Andrier [24:38]

6. The Business Model: Contracts, IP, and Value

[25:11–28:14]

• Contracts & IP:

  • Givaudan works for free during development and earns only if their formula is chosen; they retain IP rights as formulas are not patentable.
  • “We own the secret of the formula. We own the right to do the business and to produce this formula for you.” – Gilles Andrier [26:05]

• Pricing Power:

  • Fragrances typically constitute 4–5% of a client’s product cost; flavors, ~0.5%.
  • Despite being a small part of cost, they are the main driver of consumer preference.
  • “Because it’s so complex… they outsource the most important driver of liking.” – Gilles Andrier [27:02–27:53]

• Unique vs. Ubiquitous:

  • Every formula is custom and exclusive to the client, countering the idea that mass production dilutes uniqueness.

7. Ethics and Perception

[29:58–31:14]

• On Manipulation:
  • Tangen questions if perfumers “manipulate” consumers emotionally.
  • Andrier responds: “No, we make people happier. We don’t manipulate them. Manipulation is a very, very aggressive word.” [30:17]
  • Fragrance reinforces perceptions, e.g., “your floor is clean” after using a scented cleaner.

8. Industry Landscape and Givaudan’s Strategy

[31:20–34:47]

• Industry Players:

  • Four major global competitors, though consolidation and diversification have shifted the landscape.
  • Givaudan remains focused on F&F (Fragrance & Flavor) with strategic expansions (e.g., “active beauty” and makeup solutions) into adjacent high-value ingredients.

• China’s Role:

  • China is more a supplier than a direct competitor; Givaudan is well-established in the region.

9. Corporate Culture at Givaudan

[34:53–43:12]

• Culture Defined:

  • Emphasis on two pillars: “performance-driven” and “heart and soul” (caring/human company).
  • “The culture at Givaudan is very strong. I think it defines and it’s really core to the success.” – Gilles Andrier [34:53]
  • Deeply multinational and inclusive, shaped by acquisitions and organic evolution.

• Humanity and Leadership:

  • Andrier attributes longevity to alignment between his personal values and the company’s DNA.
  • “There was a magic fit between what Givaudan had in its core DNA and who I was.” – Gilles Andrier [38:46]

• Avoiding Bureaucracy & Remaining Agile:

  • “Bullshit at Hotel Givaudan doesn’t survive more than three seconds.” – Gilles Andrier [40:43]
  • Flat leadership, people growing within the company, and pragmatism help avoid bureaucracy.
  • Shared service centers have improved operational execution and enabled digital transformation.

10. Leadership Principles and Personal Insights

[43:12–47:49]

• Principles:

  • Set and commit to ambitious targets.
  • Deliver on promises.
  • Embrace entrepreneurship and innovation.
  • “It’s really to deliver on what you promise.” – Gilles Andrier [44:12]

• Day-to-Day & Relaxation:

  • Typical CEO intensity without 5am wake-ups. Enjoys cycling, family (six children), cooking, and adventurous vacations.

• Family and Food:

  • Smell and taste are part of family life, but not obsessive. Cooking is a shared relaxation activity.

11. Advice to Young People and Aspiring Leaders

[47:49–51:35]

• Key Advice:
  • “Find your own suit… have an impact rather than status…Be curious…experiment…take risks…enjoy what you do.”
  • Don’t plan solely for titles; growth comes from curiosity, experimentation, taking risks, and enjoying the journey.

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• “We make the world taste and smell very good.” – Gilles Andrier [00:54]
• “Survival kit… the body is designed in such a way that it has such a connection with the emotions, with the memories… the fastest way to go from the senses to the memory.” – Gilles Andrier [01:31]
• “Any brand has almost like an olfactive signature. It smells like Tom Ford, it smells like Gucci.” – Gilles Andrier [05:19]
• “40% of all perfumes sold in the world were created by perfumers coming from the school of Givaudan.” – Gilles Andrier [18:28]
• “As an individual perfumer… you’re going to lose a brief nine times out of ten… so you need resilience, persistence.” – Gilles Andrier [19:09]
• “If it doesn’t taste good, you’re not going to do it a second time.” – Gilles Andrier [24:38]
• “We own the secret of the formula.” – Gilles Andrier [26:05]
• “Performance-driven, creative, caring and accessible.” – Nicolai Tangen [38:35]
• “Bullshit at Hotel Givaudan doesn’t survive more than three seconds.” – Gilles Andrier [40:43]
• “Find your own suit…enjoy every day of any job I was given and having an impact rather than status.” – Gilles Andrier [47:55]

Engaging Moments

• The candid exchange over whether fragrance “manipulates” people [29:58–31:14].
• The Red Bull test failure anecdote [14:02].
• Givaudan’s lab process likened to music composition [09:34].
• Cultural traits and avoiding bureaucracy through practicality and homegrown leadership [40:43].

Useful for Listeners Who Haven’t Tuned In

This episode is a deep dive into the sensory world that impacts daily life—often behind the scenes—showing how creativity, science, and corporate culture come together at Givaudan. From precise details on fragrance development to big-picture reflections on leadership and work philosophy, listeners gain both an understanding of global flavor & fragrance creation and inspiration for their own paths.