Pernod-Ricard

<p><i><strong>Lobna Atifi has always been a rocket. At Pernod Ricard, she’s become a three-stage rocket. Customer &amp; Channels Portfolio Director, Pernod Ricard Women in Tech Community Lead, Transformation Officer: behind these impressive titles, there’s a woman who never backs down from challenges and who forged her strong feminist convictions through reading and learning the hard way. Together, we speak of an exciting era for Pernod Ricard, a group that spells conviviality with a P and an R… and an exciting time for herself.</strong></i></p><h1>Lobna Atifi at Pernod Ricard: Transforming a Global Company through Technologies and Inclusiveness</h1><p>Lobna Atifi’s career has never followed a predetermined path. There was no vocation or dazzling intuition that would lead her to her destiny. Science was a destination of choice for good students, so, despite her dyscalculia, she majored in science.</p><p>At that point, she still had no real idea about what to do after her French baccalaureate. It was the early 2000s and IT was booming. From what Lobna had read here and there, computer science was going to shape the future, and this growing field warranted professions that would be anything but boring. Freedom, exciting projects, and the promise of exploring many worlds through her career: Lobna was won.</p><p>She joined an IT school. One of three women out of one hundred students, she obtained her HND in computer science in the top of her class. She was also within the upper tier of her class when she completed her Master Degree in England, a few years later.</p><p>With her diploma in hand, she started in France for her first employment. This was the start of a journey where she took on several jobs, working for various industries and in different countries. There were moments when she questioned her choices: Wouldn’t IT feel too constrained at some point? And then, she was faced with the many vexations a woman encounters in her professional career, especially when she’s young, especially with a foreign-sounding last name, especially when she chose not to follow the golden path of engineering schools in France! But, as the saying goes, ‘<i>She didn’t know it was impossible, so she did it!’</i></p><p>More than twenty years after entering the Tech industry, Lobna Atifi can say with certainty that her choice has led her where she fits and thrives, in an ever-changing world where she can be part of building a future where women will be more than an afterthought.</p><p>From the Pernod Ricard Transformation to the Women in Tech community, Lobna Atifi tells us about what awaits the group.</p><h2>From Oil to Liquors: the Flow of Fluidity</h2><p>My story with Pernod Ricard started in 2020, in the midst of the pandemic…</p><h3>Slow-dancing Her Way in a New Adventure</h3><p>At the time, I was working at one of the largest oil companies in the world. I was contacted by a talent hunter. I knew his recruitment company well, and I thought he was calling me to present an interesting new profile. Most people were in lockdown and it really wasn’t a good time to recruit. But in fact, it was me he was chasing. He wanted to know if I would be interested in a career move… Still fluids… but the kind you drink…</p><p>I first met the Head of HR and the CIO of Pernod Ricard at the time. It was more of a discussion, getting to know each other, than your usual job interviews. And I have to say that I appreciated this approach. They understood my technical profile and that I didn’t want to start at headquarters: I needed to explore and discover the group through its subsidiaries. And then, I met my future manager: She’s originally from New Zealand and has worked at Pernod Ricard for almost 20 years. It’s rare in the Tech industry to stick around so long with the same company! I immediately clicked with her…</p><h3>Joining a Group that Treats Conviviality with Seriousness</h3><p>I liked the people I met, the values that I already felt… And then, there is this notion of pleasure, of fun even, that comes with the brands. I mean, Pernod Ricard’s tagline is: ‘We are&nbsp;<i>Créateurs de Convivialité’ – </i>creators of conviviality. In a world where we’re overwhelmed by complex topics, sad news, and pessimism, I loved the idea of working at a company that lives to bring levity and a festive spirit to the game.</p><p>The recruitment wasn’t a quick process, as I was still working full time and we all wanted to make sure we were a good fit, but, at the end, their proposal checked all the boxes. I joined the Pernod Ricard group in September 2021.</p><h2>Lobna Atifi at Pernod Ricard: An Era of Transformation</h2><p>Millennials are Tech babies. Technologies have built us as we have built them. I have worked in the Tech field for over 20 years. This is what I know best and what I do best.</p><h3>Transforming a Global Company through Technologies</h3><p>When I joined the group, my first assignment was to lead the Tech solutions for marketing, sales and digital operations in relation to B2B, B2C and E-shops for a scope of 35 brands in which you have our biggest flagships. With our marketing teams, we ensure the promotion of our great brands throughout the world.</p><p>In September 2023, our CIO contacted me to ask me to be part of our Transformation team. They had already been working hard for the past year. There was no way on earth I wouldn’t want to be part of this project. So, of course, I enthusiastically said yes!&nbsp;</p><p>Transforming Pernod Ricard’s Tech means transforming the entire activity, and that’s the whole point. Pernod Ricard is doing very well, business-wise. But when I joined the group, I was surprised to discover that most operations were decentralized: each brand operating with its own processes. I was used to globalized operations, and I knew that the group would prosper even more if they adopted a global sales and marketing strategy. Because whether you’re part of&nbsp;<i>The Absolut Company</i>,&nbsp;<i>Chivas Brothers&nbsp;</i>or&nbsp;<i>Pernod Ricard India</i>, whether you produce Irish whiskies, clear spirits or NoLow alcohol products, at the end of the day, you’re Pernod Ricard. We’re all part of the Pernod Ricard Group; it’s our identity, it’s our brand.</p><h3>Moving Towards Rationalizing All Ops</h3><p>We want to downsize our applications landscape from 2700 today, to 1000 by 2030. Sometimes, decentralization makes a lot of sense: different policies for France and the UK, China, India, or the United States, yes, that makes sense. And of course, we must keep our teams in those countries. But we must be able to harmonize our ways of working. And, having so different processes and systems from country to country represents a huge waste of time, value, and synergies.</p><p>Our Tech Transformation will enable our company to continue its growth: It is a great project which we are undertaking with all our business counterparts, through and through.&nbsp;</p><h2>Women at Pernod Ricard: When Planets Align&nbsp;&nbsp;</h2><p>As we undertake this transformation process, with our CIO, we saw a momentum to launch another project: the Pernod Ricard Women in Tech community.</p><h3>Momentum: The Time Is Now</h3><p>I felt like the time had come. With so many women occupying leadership positions in the Tech domain, and with the confidence of our CIO, Hélène Chaplain, I believed there would never be a better time to create such a community within Pernod Ricard.</p><p>If we really want to see more women in the workforce, we need more than kind words and declarations of intent. And the whole group is ready. Pernod Ricard entrusted me with this mission, and I benefit from the help of many people in the group.</p><p>It was important that the community welcomed women and men. But I’m not a preacher and I don’t treat people like children. If men want to know more about women and feminism, they can get their information through books, articles, films, etc. This is how I learned about the subject. I wasn’t born a feminist; I became one by necessity. I read about it, a lot. I’m always open to discussing it and I’m learning every day!<br>&nbsp;</p><h3><strong>From Tech to All Fields: Growing Gains</strong></h3><p>Men still have their part of the bargain to do, in my opinion. I see too many saying, declaring their intentions, but not (yet) doing, stepping up, making the change. This is why it was important to open Pernod Ricard’s Women in Tech project to everyone. I created this community from scratch, it’s growing exponentially. It has reached Pernod Ricard’s employees well beyond the Tech teams. They join us whatever their profession, regardless of their country. It’s becoming the first global community within Pernod Ricard. I want to bring together more talents, more grey matter to brainstorm, and continue building the community. We’re only at the beginning of the adventure, the community hasn’t yet reached its one-year anniversary!&nbsp;</p><p>In a nutshell, the Women in Tech community is principally engaged in three fields:</p><ol><li>Recruiting more women talents within the Tech workforce. We have set up a partnership with an agency specialized in recruiting women in Tech. And we have also reviewed our job descriptions to make them more inclusive.</li><li>Raising awareness. We organize monthly Speaker Series where colleagues worldwide from any profession can connect. With our speakers, we discuss topics around gender biased situations, challenging conventions, finding the right balance, why diversity and inclusion matters. We share studies, readings, and other materials to the broader community.</li><li>Create a network, a community, where women feel safe, can find allies, people to talk to, to rely on, to grow and succeed to overtake obstacles that come in the way.&nbsp;</li></ol><h2>Women and the Tech</h2><p>It took me a long time to feel legitimate. Women carry the burden of many insecurities, me included.</p><h3>Finding Equilibrium</h3><p>When I was younger, I felt illegitimate, I lacked self-confidence and I suffered from, you know, the imposter syndrome. So, I overcompensated. For better or worse, I’m a true workaholic. At a time, consulting was the perfect job for my type of people. But it can also be the perfect storm: a workaholic in a ruthless organization. You work 24/7, easy-peasy… Until you reach your breaking point.</p><p>This happened to me. And I learned from it. People can’t believe it when I say that I can feel overwhelmed and underqualified. They see me as a force of nature. But for me, it’s important to share my insecurities and tell other women that they aren’t alone to feel sometimes alone, or weak, or fake. And this is something most men don’t feel, not like we do at least.</p><p>These days I have become much kinder, gentler with myself. I still hear that voice inside me, the voice that whispers: ’You’re not good enough, you can’t, you won’t’… But now I’ve learned to recognize it. I can now whisper and silence that little snarky voice. I don’t think it will ever go away, but I learned to live with it. I will be 44 this year. I didn’t get where I am out of sheer luck, I never stole someone else’s job. Everything I got, every career advancement, every promotion, I worked for it, I deserved it.</p><h3>The Cost of Virility</h3><p>There is this book, ‘<i>Le coût de la virilité’</i>, written by Lucile Peytavin. It’s a super-easy and short read. It assesses the cost of so-called virile behaviours for the French society in terms of crime, violence, illness, etc. The book concludes that rather than educating our girls to be more like men, why wouldn’t we educate our boys more like our girls. It made me chuckle a little, but hey, we’ve been teaching girls to play with boys’ rules, and so far where did it get us?&nbsp;</p><p>For the first time in my life, apart from Alexandre Ricard, my entire reporting line is women. And I find it quite liberating. Rightly or wrongly, when men are involved, I have the impression that it amplifies certain blockages and tensions. Not always, obviously, but quite often. Relationships are easier, with much less hierarchical pressure, between women.</p><p>Of course, this depends on the woman in charge. Some women in leadership positions have internalized that respect comes from ‘macho’ behaviour. Like many of their male counterparts, they confuse authoritarianism and leadership. Personally, I have nothing but respect for my CIO; she’s a central element of Pernod Ricard’s operations. And I can speak without fear in front of her.</p><h3>Advocating for Women’s Rights: Women Are the First Line of Defense</h3><p>When we think of women’s rights advocates, we often refer to men. But women can and must be our best allies. We need more women in leadership positions. Way, way more. Especially in Tech, and even more so in the field of AI.&nbsp;</p><p>Women must get used to turning to other women for help, advice. Contrary to popular belief, women don’t hate each other. We hear it so much that we tend to believe it!</p><p>My best friends are women. In and out of the workplace. Making friends with other women is key, in all areas of a woman’s life, whether personal or professional. And on top of that, successful women can be your best mentors. This makes everything simpler, for obvious reasons.</p><p>And we must stop feeling out of place in business networks. Men have mastered networking for centuries. They never hesitate to co-opt their mates; Why shouldn’t we? If women don’t help other women, why should we expect men to go out of their way for us? Really, why?</p><p>We’re so vastly outnumbered in Tech fields. If we want the situation to change, we will have to unbuild our educational biases and beliefs. Yes, there is a glass ceiling, and yes, we’re also our own enemies: either way, we need to shatter these walls and ceilings. It’s time to build a new paradigm for women everywhere.</p><h2>The Way Ahead</h2><p>I’m incredibly proud of my work at Pernod Ricard. I’m proud of my teams, of our missions, of Pernod Ricard’s constant willingness to really change the game. For instance, Absolut Vodka is committed to a carbon-neutral product by 2030. And this year, our company has been ranked in the Top&nbsp;100 companies for gender equality by Equileap.</p><p>So yes, definitely proud. Our job is to create conviviality, and that’s quite something!</p><h3>Five Years From Now</h3><p>Pernod Ricard must be my sixth company. I have never been afraid of change, new places, new people. These things seem pretty normal to me. I have recently been appointed Channel &amp; Customer Portfolio Director, as part of our transformation. This will be the beginning of a new journey for me. That is to say, in five years from now, where will I be? …</p><p>I am guessing that I’ll still be in Pernod Ricard. We’ll have achieved the Transformation successfully. And I would certainly be well on my way to the next endeavour.&nbsp;</p><p>I want to continue to have an impact, to be able to make a change in a positive manner. And then there is&nbsp;<i>Women in Tech</i>…</p><p>This community: leading it, being part of it… I firmly believe that we make a difference, and not only within Pernod Ricard. I have always thought that we all have a responsibility to society. I want to go beyond the job, beyond the position. I want to be part of those who will do their best to build a better world for those who come after us, especially women. I wish, in my capacity, to be able to make a positive difference, and this is a good enough legacy.</p><p>So, at the end of the day, does it really matter where I’ll be in five years? And having a full career plan? Not knowing what the next step will be, that’s OK. I never played the game by the rules set by others. Maybe there was a time in my life I thought this might be a disadvantage. But I learned to embrace it and make it my forte. Ultimately, my life and my professional career have proven me right. The most exciting part of my life is the unexpected, the paths which unveil along the journey, the encounters which I never imagined possible. I didn’t know it was impossible, so I did it: For the time being, I will stick to this mantra.&nbsp;</p><p><br>&nbsp;</p>

Lobna Atifi at Pernod Ricard: An Era of Transformation

Julien Londeix