Item 1. BUSINESS.
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Item 1. BUSINESS.
We are a leading creator and manufacturer of food, beverage, health & biosciences, scent and pharma solutions and complementary adjacent products, including cosmetic active and natural health ingredients, which are used in a wide variety of consumer products. Our products are sold principally to manufacturers of dairy, meat, beverages, snacks, savory, sweet, baked goods and other foods, personal care products, soaps and detergents, cleaning products, perfumes and cosmetics, dietary supplements, food protection, infant and elderly nutrition, functional food, pharmaceutical and oral care products. As a result, we hold global leadership positions in the Food & Beverage, Home & Personal Care and Health & Wellness markets, and across key Tastes, Textures, Scents, Nutrition, Enzymes, Cultures, Soy Proteins, Pharmaceutical Excipients and Probiotics categories.
Sales in 2023 were approximately $11.479 billion. Based on 2023 sales, approximately 46% of sales were to global consumer products companies and approximately 54% of sales were to small and mid-sized companies. During 2023, our 25 largest customers accounted for approximately 32% of sales. In 2023, no customer accounted for more than 10% of sales.
Our business is geographically diverse, with sales in the U.S. representing approximately 28% of sales in 2023. No other country represented more than 7% of sales.
Our Product Offerings
Our business currently consists of four segments: Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent and Pharma Solutions.
Nourish
As a leading creator of ingredients and solutions, we help our customers deliver on the promise of healthy and delicious foods and drinks that appeal to consumers. We create products in our regional creative centers which allows us to satisfy local customer preferences, while also helping to ensure regulatory compliance and production standards. We develop thousands of different Nourish offerings, most of which are tailor-made, and we continually develop new ingredients and solutions to meet changing consumer preferences and customer needs.
Our Nourish segment consists of an innovative and broad portfolio of natural-based ingredients to enhance nutritional value, texture and functionality in a wide range of beverage, dairy, bakery, confectionery and culinary applications and consists of Ingredients, Flavors and Food Designs.
Ingredients include a diversified portfolio across natural and plant-based specialty food ingredients derived from herbs and plants that provide texturizing solutions used in the food industry, food protection solutions used in food and beverage products, as well as specialty soy and pea protein with value-added formulations, emulsifiers and sweeteners. Natural food protection ingredients consist of natural antioxidants and anti-microbials used for natural food preservation and shelf-life extension for beverages, cosmetic and healthcare products, pet food and feed additives.
Flavors include a range of flavor compounds and natural taste solutions that are ultimately used by our customers in savory products (soups, sauces, meat, fish, poultry, snacks, etc.), beverages (juice drinks, carbonated or flavored beverages, spirits, etc.), sweets (bakery products, candy, cereal, chewing gum, etc.), and dairy products (yogurt, ice cream, cheese, etc.). Flavors also include value-added spices and seasoning ingredients for meat, food service, convenience, alternative protein and culinary products.
Food Designs include savory solution products such as spices, sauces, marinades and mixtures. During the fourth quarter of 2022, we announced our entry into an agreement to sell a portion of the Savory Solutions business and completed the divestiture on May 31, 2023. Additionally, Food Designs provide inclusion products that help with taste and texture by, among other things, combining flavorings with fruit, vegetables and other natural ingredients for a wide range of food products, such as health snacks, baked goods, cereals, pastries, ice cream and other dairy products.
Health & Biosciences
Our Health & Biosciences segment consists of the development and production of an advanced biotechnology-derived portfolio of enzymes, food cultures, probiotics and specialty ingredients for food and non-food applications. Among many other applications, this biotechnology-driven portfolio includes cultures for use in fermented foods such as yogurt, cheese and fermented beverages, probiotic strains, many with documented clinical health claims for use as dietary supplements and through industrial fermentation the production of enzymes and microorganisms that provide product and process performance benefits to household detergents, animal feed, ethanol production and brewing. Health & Biosciences is comprised of Health, Cultures & Food Enzymes, Home & Personal Care, Animal Nutrition and Grain Processing.
Health provides ingredients for dietary supplements, functional food and beverage, specialized nutrition and pharma.
Cultures & Food Enzymes provides products that aim to serve the global demand for healthy, natural, clean label and fermented food for fresh dairy, cheese, bakery and brewing products. Such products contribute to extended shelf life, stability, taste and texture, helping our customers to improve their product offerings. The business’s enzyme solutions also allow our customers to provide low sugar, high fiber and lactose-free dairy products.
Home & Personal Care produces enzymes for laundry and dishwashing detergents, cleaning and textiles to help enhance the product and process performance of products in the fabric and home care, textiles and industrials and personal care markets. In 2023, we introduced patented enzymatic polymers that are renewable, biodegradable alternatives to functional ingredients used in home cleaning and beauty care products.
Animal Nutrition produces feed enzymes and animal health solutions that help to improve nutrition, welfare, performance and sustainability of livestock animal farming.
Grain Processing produces yeasts and enzymes for biofuel production and carbohydrate processing.
Scent
Our Scent segment creates fragrance compounds, fragrance ingredients and cosmetic ingredients that are integral elements in the world’s finest perfumes and best-known household and personal care products. Consumer insights science and creativity are at the heart of our Scent business, and, along with our unique portfolio of natural and synthetic ingredients, global footprint, innovative technologies and know-how, and customer intimacy, we believe make us a market leader in scent products. The Scent segment is comprised of Fragrance Compounds, Fragrance Ingredients and Cosmetic Ingredients.
Fragrance Compounds are unique and proprietary combinations of multiple fragrance ingredients that are ultimately used by our customers in their consumer goods. Our creative and commercial teams within fragrance compounds are organized into two broad categories: fine fragrances and consumer fragrances.
Our perfumers harness creativity and leverage our innovative captive molecules, sustainable natural ingredients obtained with innovative processes, biotech ingredients, data science, and consumer insights to create unique and inspiring fragrances driving consumer preferences.
Our fine fragrances focus on perfumes and colognes, creating global and local namesake brands, from high luxury to mass market, from market leading to ultra-niche products.
Our consumer fragrances include three end-use categories of products:
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Fabric Care, including laundry detergents, fabric softeners and specialty laundry products;
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Home Care, including household cleaners, dishwashing detergents and air fresheners; and
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Body Care, including personal wash, hair care and toiletries products.
Fragrance Ingredients are natural and synthetic, and active and functional ingredients that are used internally and sold to third parties, including competitors, for use in the preparation of compounds. While the principal role of our fragrance ingredients facilities is to support our fragrance compounds business, we utilize excess manufacturing capacity to manufacture and sell certain fragrance ingredients to third parties, enabling us to leverage our fixed costs while maintaining the security of our supply for our perfumers and ultimately our customers. Flavor ingredients include natural flavor extracts, specialty botanical extracts, distillates, essential oils, citrus products, aroma chemicals and natural gums and resins. Such ingredients are used for food, beverage and flavors, and are often sold directly to food and beverage manufacturers who use them in producing consumer products. During the fourth quarter of 2022, we announced our entry into an agreement to sell our Flavor Specialty Ingredients business and completed the divestiture on August 1, 2023.
Cosmetic Ingredients designs, develops, manufactures and markets innovative ingredients for the cosmetics and personal care industry, while offering active ingredients, functional ingredients, and delivery systems. During the fourth quarter of 2023, we entered into an agreement to sell our Cosmetic Ingredients business and expect the divestiture to be completed in the first quarter of 2024.
Pharma Solutions
Our Pharma Solutions segment produces, among other things, a vast portfolio of cellulosics and seaweed-based pharmaceutical excipients, used to improve the functionality and delivery of active pharmaceutical ingredients, including controlled or modified drug release formulations, and enabling the development of more effective pharmaceutical finished dosage formulations. Our excipients are used in prescription and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals and dietary supplements. Our Pharma Solutions products also serve a variety of other specialty and industrial end-uses including coatings, inks, electronics, agriculture and consumer products.
Consumer Insights, Research and Product Development Process
The markets in which we compete require constant innovation to remain competitive. Consumer preferences tend to drive change in our markets, and as science evolves and sustainability continues to be a key factor to customers and consumers, we must continue to strengthen our research and development platforms and adapt our capabilities to provide differentiated products.
Consumer Insights
We believe that the first step to creating an innovative and unique product experience begins with gaining insight into the consumer and emerging industry trends. By developing a deep understanding of what consumers value and prefer through our consumer insight programs, we are better able to focus our research and development and creative efforts.
Our consumer science, insight and marketing teams interpret trends, monitor product launches, analyze quantitative market data and conduct numerous consumer interviews annually.
Based on this information, we develop innovative and proprietary programs to evaluate potential products that enable us to understand the emotional connections between a prospective product and the consumer. We believe this ability to pinpoint the likelihood of a product’s success translates into stronger brand equity, resulting in increased returns and greater market share gains for our customers as well as for IFF.
Research and Development
We consider our research and development infrastructure to be one of our key competencies and critical to our ability to provide differentiated products to our customers. We have strong product and application development pipelines built upon a global network that includes research and development, as well as regulatory and product stewardship capabilities.
We focus and invest substantial resources in the research and development of new and innovative molecules, compounds, formulations and technologies and the application of these to our customers’ products. Using the knowledge gained from our consumer insights programs and business unit needs, we strategically focus our resources around key research and development platforms that address or anticipate consumer needs or preferences. Our innovation-based platforms are aligned with key consumer insight-led growth themes: improving home and personal care, empowering wellbeing and healthy lives, transforming food systems and accelerating climate solutions. By aligning our capabilities and resources to these platforms, we ensure the proper support and focus for each program so that our products can be further developed and eventually accepted for commercial application.
As of December 31, 2023, we have 880 granted U.S. patents and 431 pending U.S. patent applications, as well as numerous other granted patents and pending patent applications around the world. We have developed many unique molecules and delivery systems for our customers that are used as the foundations of successful products around the world.
Our principal basic research and development activities are located in Union Beach, New Jersey; Wilmington, Delaware; Palo Alto, California; Brabrand, Denmark; and Leiden, The Netherlands. At those locations, our scientists and application engineers, while collaborating with our other research and development centers around the world, support the:
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discovery of new materials;
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development of new technologies, such as delivery systems;
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creation of new compounds; and
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enhancement of existing ingredients and compounds.
As of December 31, 2023, we employed approximately 3,700 people globally in research and development activities.
Creative Application
Through our global network of creative centers and application laboratories, we create or adapt the basic Nourish, Health & Biosciences, Scent and Pharma Solutions products that we have developed in the research and development process to commercialize for use in our customers’ consumer products. Our global creative teams consist of marketing, consumer science, consumer insights and technical application experts, from a wide range of cultures and nationalities. In close partnership with our customers’ product development groups, our creative teams create the experiences that our customers are seeking in order to satisfy consumer demands in each of their respective markets.
New product development is driven by a variety of sources including requests from our customers, who are in need of specific products for use in a new or modified consumer product, or as a result of internal initiatives stemming from our consumer insights program. Our product development team works in partnership with our scientists and researchers to optimize the consumer appeal and relevance of our offerings. We use a collaborative process between our researchers, our product development team and our customers to perfect our offerings so they are ready to be included in the final consumer product.
In addition to creating new products, our researchers and product development teams advise customers on ways to improve their existing products by moderating or substituting current ingredients with more readily accessible or less expensive materials enhancing their yield, or helping to increase or improve functionality of their formulations. This often results in creating a better value proposition for our customers.
Most of our formulas are treated as trade secrets and remain our proprietary assets. Our business is not materially dependent upon any individual patent, trademark or license.
Center for Commercial Excellence
Our Center for Commercial Excellence utilizes a holistic and centralized approach towards commercial execution by, among other things:
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Unlocking value through improved customer experience based on market, customer and pricing insights, digital and advanced analytics, sales enablement, and marketing excellence;
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Building further sales force capability to deliver growth targets, own the end-to-end process, and deliver sales synergies using CRM systems, pricing tools, segmentation models, commercial opportunity management, account plan development, training, and incentive plans;
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Evaluating and driving new business development opportunities, including analyzing potential markets, assessing client needs, and identifying competitor response strategies; and
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Strengthening collaboration across divisions by collecting and disseminating best practices and anchoring business decisions in data-driven insights.
Supply Chain
We strive to provide our customers with consistent and quality products on a timely and cost-effective basis by managing all aspects of the supply chain, from raw material sourcing through manufacturing, quality assurance, regulatory compliance and distribution.
Procurement
In connection with the manufacture of our products, we use natural and synthetic ingredients. As of December 31, 2023, we purchased approximately 24,000 different raw materials sourced from an extensive network of domestic and international suppliers and distributors.
Natural ingredients are derived from flowers, fruits and other botanical products, as well as from plant, animal and marine products, and commodity crops like wheat, corn and soy. They contain varying numbers of organic chemicals that are responsible for the fragrance, flavor, antioxidant properties and nutrition of the natural products. Natural products are purchased directly from farms or in processed and semi-processed forms. Some natural products are used in compounds in the state in which they are obtained and others are used after further processing. Natural products, together with various chemicals, are also used as raw materials for the manufacture of synthetic ingredients by chemical processes.
In order to ensure our supply of raw materials, achieve favorable pricing and provide timely transparency regarding inflationary trends to our customers, we continue to focus on:
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purchasing under contract with fixed or formula-based pricing for set time periods;
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entering into hedging for raw materials we purchase that can be hedged against liquid commodity assets;
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entering into supplier relationships to gain access to supplies we would not otherwise have;
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implementing indexed pricing;
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reducing the complexity of our formulations;
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evaluating the profitability of whether to buy or make an ingredient;
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sourcing from local countries with our own procurement professionals; and
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periodically assessing our supply base with a view towards greater cost efficiencies and improvements.
Manufacturing and Distribution
As of December 31, 2023, we had approximately 190 manufacturing facilities, creative centers and application laboratories located in approximately 40 different countries. Our major manufacturing facilities are located in the United States, The Netherlands, Spain, Germany, Indonesia, Turkey, Brazil, Mexico, Slovenia, China, India, Ireland, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Belgium and Singapore.
During the last few years in connection with the acquisition of Frutarom, we undertook an initiative to optimize our global operations footprint to efficiently and cost-effectively deliver value to our global customers (the “Frutarom Integration Initiative”). From the inception of the Frutarom Integration Initiative through its completion as of March 31, 2023, we completed the closure of 22 sites.
Our supply chain initiatives are focused on increasing capacity and investing in key technologies. Within our more mature markets, we tend to focus on consolidation and cost optimization as well as the implementation of new technologies. In addition to our own manufacturing facilities, we develop relationships with third parties, including contract manufacturing organizations, that expand our access to the technologies, capabilities and capacity that we need to better serve our customers.
For more detailed information about risks related to our supply chain, please refer to Item 1A, “Risk Factors” – Supply chain disruptions, geopolitical developments, including the Russia-Ukraine war, the Israel-Hamas war and wider Middle East developments (including disruptions to the Red Sea passage or such conflicts spreading further in the relevant regions), or climate-change events (including severe weather events) may adversely affect our suppliers or our procurement of raw materials, and thus may impact our business and financial results.
Environmental, Social, and Governance
Following the integration with Nutrition and Biosciences, Inc. (“N&B”), we launched a refreshed and comprehensive Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) roadmap, the ‘Do More Good Plan’ (“the Plan”), which aligns with IFF’s purpose of applying science and creativity for a better world and our strategy for long term growth and value creation. The Plan includes ambitious 2030 goals across four key areas: Environmental, Social, Governance and Sustainable Solutions.
Environmental: Climate & Planetary Health
Supporting environmental stewardship across our operations, including commitments to climate action, zero waste to landfill, water stewardship solutions and an acceleration of our responsible sourcing practices by promoting regenerative ecosystems and achieving zero deforestation for strategic raw material supply chains.
Social: Equity & Wellbeing
Advancing our commitment to people and communities by strengthening diversity, equity & inclusion within our workforce, while continuously improving our safety program by striving for an injury-free workplace, and achieving world-class safety performance. Within our responsible sourcing program, the Company will continue to promote human rights and animal welfare, while supporting farmers’ livelihoods and ensuring prosperous and equitable value chains.
Governance: Transparency & Accountability
Continuing our commitment to good governance which starts with our Board and Executive Leadership Team and is supported by a strong governance framework, including having a robust program to ensure compliance with our Codes of Conduct and adherence to the highest standards of ethics, integrity, honesty and respect in our dealings internally and with our business partners. To enhance accountability in line with evolving stakeholder expectations, the Company has launched ESG metrics tied to executive compensation, while expanding oversight for ESG at the Board of Directors level.
Sustainable Solutions
Focusing on the sustainability value proposition and growth for all new innovations as we assist customers in achieving their own ESG goals by delivering an expanded suite of sustainable solutions for the market.
In 2023, our Company continued to achieve notable recognitions in these areas. We qualified as a constituent of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, North America for the fourth consecutive year, a family of best-in-class benchmarks for investors who recognize that sustainable business practices are critical to generating long-term shareholder value. This distinction validates IFF’s leadership position in sustainability performance and underscores our commitment to executing on key ESG priorities. We were also awarded the 2023 EcoVadis Platinum sustainability rating for the third time, placing IFF among the top 1% of companies assessed. In addition, following our submission to CDP Climate Change, Water Security and Forests, we maintained our leadership position in CDP Climate Change and achieved management level for CDP Water Security and Forests for 2023. IFF continues to be listed in the FTSE4Good Index series as well as in the Euronext Vigeo World 120 Index for ESG performance.
In addition, in 2023 IFF further aligned with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) by completing the first phase of a climate scenario analysis to understand and quantify the potential risks and opportunities related to climate change. For more detailed information about our ESG programs and performance, please refer to our annual ESG report.
Governmental Regulation
We develop, produce and market our products in a number of jurisdictions around the world and are subject to federal, regional and local legislation and regulations in various countries. Our products, which among other industries, are intended for use in food, beverage, pharmaceutical and dietary supplements, home and personal care, feed, cosmetics industries, are subject to strict quality and regulatory standards and environmental laws and regulations. We in turn are required to meet strict standards which, in recent years, have become increasingly stringent and affect both existing as well as new products. While the cost of compliance with such laws and regulations leads to higher overall capital expenditure, which can be significant in certain periods, we do not currently anticipate any material capital expenditures necessary to comply with such laws and regulations. We continue to monitor existing and pending laws and regulations and while the impact of regulatory changes cannot be predicted with certainty, compliance has not had, and is not expected to have a material adverse effect on capital expenditure, earnings or competitive position.
Our products and operations are subject to regulation by governmental agencies in each of the markets in which we operate. These agencies include (1) the Food and Drug Administration and equivalent international agencies that regulate flavors, pharmaceutical excipients and other ingredients in consumer products, (2) the Environmental Protection Agency and equivalent international agencies that regulate our manufacturing facilities, as well as fragrance products (including encapsulation systems), (3) the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and equivalent international agencies that regulate the working conditions in our manufacturing, research laboratories and creative centers, (4) local and international agencies that regulate trade and customs, (5) the Drug Enforcement Administration and other local or international agencies that regulate controlled chemicals that we use in our operations, (6) the Chemical Registration/Notification authorities that regulate chemicals that we use in, or transport to, the various countries in which we manufacture and/or market our products, and (7) the U.S. Department of Agriculture and equivalent international authorities with respect to, among other things, labeling of consumer products. We have seen an increase in registration and reporting requirements concerning the use of certain chemicals in a number of countries, such as Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (“REACH”) regulations in the European Union, as well as similar regulations in other countries.
In addition, we are subject to various rules relating to health, work safety and the environment at the local and international levels in the various countries in which we operate. Our manufacturing facilities throughout the world are subject to environmental standards relating to air emissions, sewage discharges, the use of hazardous materials, waste disposal practices and clean-up of existing environmental contamination. In recent years, there has been an increase in the stringency of environmental regulation and enforcement of environmental standards, and the costs of compliance have risen significantly, a trend we expect will continue in the future.
For more detailed information about risks related to governmental regulation applicable to the Company, please refer to Item 1A, “Risk Factors” – If we are unable to comply with regulatory requirements and industry standards, including those regarding product safety, quality, efficacy and environmental impact, we could incur significant costs and suffer reputational harm which could adversely affect results of operations.
Competition
The markets for our products are part of a larger market that supplies a wide variety of ingredients and compounds used in consumer products. The broader market includes functional foods and food additives, including seasonings, texturizers, spices, cultures, enzymes, probiotics, certain food-related commodities, and fortified products, as well as natural ingredients, nutritional ingredients, supplements and active cosmetic ingredients. Our acquisitions have also expanded our reach in products within the functional food ingredient market, including ingredients focused on improving the health and wellness characteristics of a consumer good, the dietary supplement, pharmaceutical ingredient, infant nutrition markets and the cosmetic actives market.
The global market for our products has expanded, primarily as a result of an increase in demand for, and an increase in the variety of, consumer products.
The market for our products is highly competitive. Our main competitors consist of (1) other large global companies, such as Givaudan, DSM-Firmenich Symrise, Kerry, ADM, Novonesis, (2) mid-sized companies, (3) numerous regional and local manufacturers and (4) consumer product companies who may develop their own competing products.
We believe that our ability to create products with the sustainability related attributes customers expect and compete successfully in the various sub-market is based on:
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our in-depth understanding of consumers,
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vertical integration,
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innovation and technological advances from our research and development activities and, as applicable, our scientists,
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our ability to tailor products to customers’ needs,
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our ability to manufacture products on a global scale, and
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broad-based regulatory capabilities.
In certain industries, large multi-national customers and, increasingly, mid-sized customers, may limit the number of their suppliers by placing some on “core lists,” giving them priority for development and production of their new or modified products. To compete more successfully, we must make continued investments in customer relationships and tailor our research and development efforts to anticipate customers’ needs, provide effective service and secure and maintain inclusion on these “core lists.”
Private label manufacturers, mostly medium-sized, local or small food manufacturers, constitute a growing segment in certain markets where we are active. Over the last decade, with the strengthening of supermarket chains, online platforms and growing consumer price consciousness, consumption of private label products has grown at a faster rate than the brand food industry rate. We believe that new business opportunities will continue to arise from these clients as they are increasing their demand for products that are similar to existing products in the market, distinctive premium products, as well as more innovative products.
Our People
The success of our business is built on our talented employees. At December 31, 2023, we had approximately 21,500 employees worldwide, of whom approximately 5,200 are employed in the United States. Our workforce plans and talent management programs support our employees to best deliver the business strategy and ensure their development and engagement.
Culture and Values
Our culture is based on our five corporate values of empowerment, expertise, innovation, integrity and responsibility, and the expression of these values can be seen and felt throughout our history. Our employees appreciate that they contribute to products that touch and enhance the lives of millions of people around the world. Our robust culture ambassador programs continue to engage a broad portion of the IFF community in building common identity and shared purpose and strengthen engagement and motivation by providing programming on IFF values and providing recognition of individuals who exemplify them.
Leadership and Development
Our leadership development efforts empower employees to become forward-looking, inspiring and capable decision-makers, agents of change and great leaders. A full portfolio of proprietary leadership development programs and an overarching talent management system is in place to support growth of leaders and at all levels. To cultivate our employees’ talent and build sustainable long-lasting careers at IFF, we provide tools that enable our employees to envision their career journeys in the form of articulated career “ladders” and “frameworks”. We offer corresponding development opportunities to include specialized courses for employees globally by partnering with leading institutions and universities to help provide the latest training and development offerings at all levels. We also offer to our employees an extensive library of on-demand courses and materials on leadership, management and professional skills development. Those learning resources are integrated into our human capital platform, allowing managers and employees to establish digitalized learning plans that are ultimately captured as a part of their employee profile. Further, those offerings complement our talent acquisition strategy and organized and personalized feedback process, supported by industry-leading assessment tools.
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (“DE&I”)
“Your Uniqueness Unleashes Our Potential” is the unifying vision for DE&I at IFF around the world because we know that the diverse backgrounds, experiences and knowledge of our global workforce is what unleashes the potential that exists at the intersection of science and creativity. This is what enables us to Be the Premier Partner to our customers.
In 2023, we refreshed our strategic framework to continue accelerating our journey. This new strategic framework builds on what has come before and increases focus on integrating DE&I into how we operate on a daily basis - fostering inclusive talent processes, inclusive employee experiences and external engagement. Through this new strategic framework, among other things:
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We made progress against our ESG goals, increasing representation for women in senior leadership roles to approximately 38%;
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We expanded accountability beyond the executive team by tying senior leader bonus awards to progress towards our 2030 gender diversity goals;
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Our colleague communities or employee resource groups (open to all IFF employees, with a focus on Women, Black, LGBTQIA+, Latino/a/e, Asian, People with Disabilities, Early in Career, Veterans & First Responders) increased visibility and impact with well-attended events around the world; and
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We committed to the Living Wage Pledge.
IFF is proud to continue to be globally EDGE certified for gender equality at the “Move” level by the Edge Certified Foundation and we continue to leverage and be recognized by other external benchmarking organizations including Bloomberg Gender Equality Index; DisabilityIN’s Disability Equality Index, Workplace Pride, as well as others. In 2023, we participated in the Black Equality Index for the first time. These indices allow us to understand what it takes to raise the bar and refine or adjust our DE&I initiatives accordingly. IFF was also listed as a “Best Place to Work for Disability Inclusion” for the fourth consecutive year.
Occupational Health & Safety
Employee safety is one of the cornerstones of our business. Our occupational health and safety management system requires and encourages employees and supervised contractors at sites globally to uphold IFF’s protocols, report any incidents and suggest improvements that improve the safety of work sites. Our safety management system is based on U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) standards which apply to all of our sites in conjunction with any local regulations. To work toward a safer workplace, we have put in place a set of protocols and programs related to three areas of focus: (a) safety governance (setting and updating comprehensive safety policies and procedures), (b) safety training of employees based on IFF policies and local requirements, and (c) safety culture characterized by awareness and communication.
Availability of Reports
We make available free of charge on or through the “Investors” link on our website, www.iff.com, all materials that we file electronically with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), including our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports, filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, as soon as reasonably practicable after electronically filing such materials with, or furnishing them to, the SEC. During the period covered by this Form 10-K, we made all such materials available through our website as soon as reasonably practicable after filing such materials with the SEC.
The SEC maintains an Internet website, www.sec.gov, that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information that we file electronically with the SEC.
A copy of our By-Laws, Corporate Governance Guidelines, Codes of Conduct, and the charters of the Audit Committee, Human Capital & Compensation Committee, Governance & Corporate Responsibility Committee and Innovation Committee of the Board of Directors are posted on the “Investors” section of our website, www.iff.com.
Our principal executive offices are located at 521 West 57th Street, New York, New York 10019 and 200 Powder Mill Road, Wilmington, Delaware 19803.
Executive Officers of Registrant
Below is a list of the executive officers of the Company and other significant employees who are members of our Executive Leadership Team as of February 28, 2024.
| Name | Age | Position | ||||||||||||
| J. Erik Fyrwald(1) | 64 | Chief Executive Officer and member of our Board of Directors | ||||||||||||
| Yuvraj Arora | 52 | President, Nourish | ||||||||||||
| Deborah Borg(1) | 47 | Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion and Communications Officer | ||||||||||||
| Michael DeVeau | 43 | Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance and Investor Relations | ||||||||||||
| Ralf Finzel(1) | 60 | Executive Vice President, Global Operations Officer | ||||||||||||
| Simon Herriott(1) | 60 | President, Health & Biosciences and Scent | ||||||||||||
| Jennifer Johnson(1) | 49 | Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary | ||||||||||||
| Glenn Richter(1) | 62 | Executive Vice President, Chief Financial & Business Transformation Officer | ||||||||||||
| Angela Strzelecki(1) | 57 | President, Pharma Solutions | ||||||||||||
| Vic Verma | 55 | Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer | ||||||||||||
| Casper Vroemen | 54 | Executive Vice President, Chief Research & Development Officer |
(1)These individuals are executive officers and file reports under Section 16 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
J. Erik Fyrwald has served as our Chief Executive Officer and a member of our Board of Directors since February 6, 2024. Mr. Fyrwald joined us from Syngenta, where he served as Chief Executive Officer since 2016. Prior to his role at Syngenta, Mr. Fyrwald served as Chief Executive Officer of Univar Solutions from May 2012 until May 2016, as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nalco from 2008 until 2011, when Nalco merged with Ecolab Inc., and following the merger, he served as President of Ecolab. Mr. Fyrwald began his career at DuPont starting in 1981. During his 27 years at DuPont, Mr. Fyrwald held a number of positions, including Group Vice President of the Agriculture and Nutrition Division at DuPont and Vice President and General Manager of DuPont’s Nutrition and Health Business.
Yuvraj Arora has served as our Executive Vice President and President, Nourish since June 19, 2023. Mr. Arora joined IFF from Kellogg North America, where he served as the President of the company’s six U.S. categories since April 2021. He was with Kellogg for more than 20 years, beginning in India in 2002 where he held roles in marketing and category management. He later assumed roles of increasing responsibility in marketing, brand management and general management upon his relocation to the United States in 2005 and in Singapore from 2012-2015.
Deborah Borg has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Human Resources, Diversity & Inclusion and Communications Officer since August 29, 2022. Ms. Borg joined IFF from Bunge Limited, where she served as Chief Human Resources and Communications Officer since 2016. Prior to joining Bunge, she served in a variety of business leadership and Human Resources roles in Australia, Switzerland and the U.S. for Dow Chemical between 2000 and 2015. She began her career at General Motors Australia.
Michael DeVeau has served as our Senior Vice President, Corporate Finance and Investor Relations since December 2022 and had previously served as Senior Vice President, Chief Investor Relations & Communications Officer from February 2021 to December 2022, Vice President, Investor Relations, Communications, and Chief of Staff from September 2014 to February 2021, as well as divisional Chief Financial Officer, Scent from 2018 to 2020 and head of Corporate Strategy from 2016 to 2018. Since joining the Company in 2009 as head of investor relations, Mr. DeVeau has held various roles of increasing scope and responsibility in communications, finance and strategy. Prior to joining the Company, he served in leadership positions in investor relations, finance and corporate development at PepsiCo. Mr. DeVeau began his career as an Equity Research Analyst at Citigroup Investment Research.
Ralf Finzel has served as our Executive Vice President, Global Operations Officer since November 1, 2022. Previously, Mr. Finzel served as Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain for Honeywell International Performance Materials and Technologies Business Group in Houston since 2020. Prior to that, he served as Vice President of Integrated Supply Chain for Honeywell International Building Technologies Business Group from July 2017 to March 2020. He first joined Honeywell in Germany as an operations manager in 1999, and held various roles of increasing responsibility and scope in Europe and the U.S. Prior to joining Honeywell, he worked in research and plant management roles for Hoechst AG.
Simon Herriott has served as our President, Health & Biosciences since February 2021 and President, Scent since June 2023. From 2019 to February 2021, Mr. Herriott was Vice President and Global Business Director, Health & Biosciences for the N&B Business and from 2016 to 2019, he served as Global Business Director, Bioactives, Industrial Biosciences and Vice President, Danisco Inc. Mr. Herriott was employed by DuPont’s predecessor or formerly affiliated companies for 15 years and held a variety of roles, including Global Business Director, Biomaterials, Industrial Biosciences.
Jennifer Johnson has served as our Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary since February 2021. From 2019 to February 2021, Dr. Johnson served as Associate General Counsel for the N&B Business. Dr. Johnson
joined DuPont in 2013, where she led the legal team for DuPont’s former Industrial Biosciences business as Associate General Counsel and previously served as Assistant Chief Intellectual Property Counsel for Industrial Biosciences. Prior to joining DuPont, Dr. Johnson was a Partner at the law firm of Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett & Dunner, L.L.P.
Glenn Richter has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial & Business Transformation Officer since February 2023. Mr. Richter served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer from September 2021 to February 2023. Prior to joining IFF, Mr. Richter was Chief Financial Officer of TIAA, having worked at the company in various leadership roles from April 2015 to July 2021. Previously, Mr. Richter worked for Nuveen Investments as Chief Operating Officer and Chief Administrative Officer and before joining Nuveen Investments in 2006, he served as Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer for RR Donnelley & Sons, and prior to that he was Executive Vice President & CFO of Sears, Roebuck and Co. and Chairman of Sears Canada, a publicly-traded affiliate.
Angela Strzelecki has served as our President, Pharma Solutions since February 2021. From 2019 to February 2021, Dr. Strzelecki was Global Business Director, Pharma Solutions for the N&B Business. During her 29 year career with DuPont or its formerly affiliated companies, Dr. Strzelecki held a variety of leadership positions, including Planning Director - Corporate Planning and M&A, Global Business Director - Electronics & Communications, North America Business Director - Building Innovations, Global Business Director - Industrial Coatings and Global Technology Director for Coatings.
Vic Verma has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Information Officer since February 2021 and had previously served as our Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer from 2016 to February 2021. Before joining the Company, Mr. Verma served as Vice President of Global Infrastructure Operations at American Express, a multinational financial services company. Prior to that, Mr. Verma held several other leadership positions at American Express as well as Vice President, Division CIO and management consulting roles with GlaxoSmithKline, Bristol Myers Squibb and PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Casper Vroemen has served as our Executive Vice President, Chief Research & Development Officer since September 2023. Dr. Vroemen has been with the N&B Business since 2004. Over the past two decades, he has assumed roles of increasing responsibility in research and development in Europe and the U.S.
Recent Developments
On January 11, 2024, we announced the departure of Frank K. Clyburn Jr. as our Chief Executive Officer, effective February 6, 2024. The Board of Directors appointed J. Erik Fyrwald as our Chief Executive Officer, effective February 6, 2024.
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