Vilmorin & Cie - Annual report 2017-2018

ANNUAL REPORT Vilmorin & Cie 128 2017-2018 Social, environmental and societal INFORMATION 4 Vilmorin & Cie favors dialogue with its stakeholders and the development of a partnership approach. Detailed knowledge of the agricultural world on the one hand, and of suppliers and customers on the other hand, guarantee that the products and solutions proposed meet the needs of the markets. In order to prepare for the future in the best possible way, business development is based on the collaborative work of teams and the exchange of best practices between Business Units, as well as on numerous partnerships with private and public laboratories and research organizations in France and worldwide, as well as with leading companies in their fields of activity. It is thanks to these close and long-standing relationships with the players in its ecosystem that the group is able to continuously improve its performance. Certain partnerships are also intended to enable Vilmorin & Cie to engage in a societal commitment that is as close as possible to the regions in which the Company has facilities. The group and its subsidiaries develop or participate in numerous social and educational initiatives. It is a way for the Business Units to participate in local life, to express their social utility while helping to make the agricultural world and food issues throughout the world better known and valued. 4.4.1. Uniting employees around a common project and shared culture 4.4.1.1. Uniting around the company Project The motivation of employees depends on the ability of the company and its managers to give meaning and visibility to the company’s ambitions, missions and vision. The mission of Vilmorin & Cie, which is to contribute to meeting the world's food challenges, gives meaning to employee engagement. A more detailed version of this mission is being drafted, in order to enable employees and other stakeholders to better understand the essence of Vilmorin & Cie's mission. Meetings bringing together top executives and executive managers are organized, and provide an opportunity to explain the Group’s strategy and missions. The year's priorities will then be highlighted in order to move forward with a view to achieving the ambitions set. The newsletter for executives, called Info + , was redesigned during fiscal year 2017-2018 to be as close as possible to employees' expectations, with the aim of sharing information that strengthens the company project. In each Business Unit, staff meetings and sales conventions are held in each country where the Group operates, enabling managers to present and comment on the Group project and explain how the Business Unit contributes to this project. Most Business Units send out newsletters in print or electronic form, which are the ideal medium for communicating corporate strategy and promoting the actions that underpin this strategy. Other meetings demonstrate the desire to work together on a common project to foster innovation. The ACL , or Association of Limagrain Researchers, is a three-day meeting that brings together nearly 300 of the Group’s researchers each year. The program includes plenary presentations and workshops on a theme that changes each year. As the ACL did not take place in its usual format in 2017, the organizing Scientific Committee nevertheless wanted to propose a coordination event for the research community, by creating the ACL Experience . The ambition was to invite researchers from all over the world to collaborate on topics they themselves proposed. They were asked to answer the question “In your opinion, as researchers in the Group, what are the topics which we should all be reflecting on together?” In one month, 270 replies were received from researchers, covering a wide range of topics: How should we use new tools and technologies? How can we improve the efficiency of R&D and innovation? How can we work better together? How should we take into account new market needs and societal expectations? How to be a researcher in the Group today and tomorrow? etc. Researchers were then asked to express their preference among these proposals grouped into 39 different themes and to declare whether they wished to contribute to one or several of them. 327 researchers expressed their opinions and 215 of them volunteered to participate in a focus group. Based on the results of this survey, the Scientific Committee selected about fifteen topics and set up working groups that had several months to work on a topic and formulate recommendations and action plans, presented at the ACL 2018 held in January. In conclusion, faced with a constraint, collective intelligence and creativity can imagine new forms of collaboration and sharing at Group level. 4.4.1.2. Encouraging social dialogue and internal communication Vilmorin & Cie has chosen constructive social dialogue with its social partners and favors collective bargaining for the process of implementing working life rules. Group agreements promote a common policy between the Business Units. During fiscal year 2017-2018, two group agreements were signed in France. They concern: the renewal and enrichment of the “Generation Contract” agreement, the implementation of harmonized health coverage for employees in France. 4.4. Building new patterns of relationship and creating value 4.4. Building new patterns of relationship and creating value

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NjQyNDQw