Promote, empower, inspire
Emmi’s approximately 12,000 employees are a cornerstone of its sustainability approach. This is why all employees are expected to have an individual development plan by 2027, and half of the vacant positions are to be filled internally.
A common aspiration inspires, connects and motivates. This is also reflected in Emmi’s mission statement: “Together, we create the best dairy moments – today and for generations to come”. A strong, values-based corporate culture, such as the one that Emmi cultivates and embraces, provides stability and strengthens its resilience, especially in a challenging market environment. Personal and professional development advances the individual, the teams and the company as a whole and inspires in many ways. It promotes the assumption of responsibility and makes it possible to use knowledge collectively, to learn from each other and to combine strengths for the benefit of all. It enables individuals and teams to rise to challenges, continuously improve and unleash creative potential in order to be successful together. As part of SDG5 (Gender Equality), one of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations, Emmi is committed to fair, inclusive and equal employment and development for all genders.
Caring for our employees
We provide an environment where all employees feel welcome, valued and inspired and have opportunities to develop.
The following examples illustrate the development spectrum at Emmi, which spans the entire career path as well as geographical and hierarchical boundaries.
Professional journeys at Emmi
Strong commitment to apprenticeships
Apprentices are the future. The tried-and-tested dual education system, for which Switzerland enjoys a high reputation worldwide, is highly valued by manufacturing companies such as Emmi. Through the strong basic training of apprentices in practical professions, Emmi assumes both corporate and social responsibility. This enables the company to secure qualified young talent for its own businesses. However, Emmi also considers it an honourable task to provide young people with strong foundational training, thereby contributing to a well-functioning labour market.
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One of the biggest advantages of my apprenticeship at Emmi is the wide-ranging support in all IT divisions. I find it particularly fascinating how our site in Ostermundigen is seamlessly integrated into a global company – the transition from local to global always inspires me.
Emmi is currently training around 145 apprentices in 13 professions in Switzerland across all apprenticeship years. The apprentices are mentored and supported by experienced vocational trainers throughout their apprenticeships. Whenever possible, Emmi offers successful graduates the chance to switch to a permanent position. Each year, Emmi also enables up to five graduates from higher education institutions and universities in the fields of economics, supply chain management and food sciences to enter the business and gain insights into the world of work through two-year trainee programmes in Switzerland.
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Participation in the trainee programme was an exceptional opportunity for me to get to know Emmi Dessert Italia in its entirety. This allowed me to deepen and broaden the knowledge I acquired during my studies, apply it in practice and develop new skills. This experience was made even more enriching by the constant support of my colleagues. As we always say: People are our special ingredient!
Learning is a lifelong task
Emmi promotes a culture of lifelong learning at all levels – whether young talent, subject matter expert or experienced manager. Fresh perspectives and new experiences that result from them promote innovation and are a driving force for continuous improvement as well as for personal and professional development.
Leveraging experience and transferring knowledge
Emmi is proud of the large number of employees who remain loyal to the company over many years and in some cases throughout their entire working lives. This loyalty confirms our belief that a common set of values and individual development opportunities are the foundations that set Emmi apart and drive us forward together.
The wide-ranging knowledge and wealth of experience that employees have gained over the years is a valuable resource that Emmi would also like to make available to future generations. It therefore enables specialists to pass on their wealth of knowledge and experience in the specially created Senior Professional Programme at the end of their professional careers and beyond usual retirement. This is a win-win situation for everyone involved, especially for subsidiaries abroad.
Two paths, one function
At the start of 2025, Suzan Durgut took over as Head Group Sustainability from Gerold Schatt, who held this role for many years. He will continue to provide expert support as part of the team for the time being, focusing on activating projects on the ground in countries such as Brazil, Chile and Tunisia, while starting a new chapter in his career. Their paths to this role differ, but represent the development opportunities and relevance of strategic succession planning within the Emmi Group.
Gerold Schatt joined Emmi immediately after completing his studies as a food engineer at ETH Zurich. He spent around ten years working as a technical project manager and a safety and operations manager at a production plant, before being appointed Head Sustainability in 2017.
Suzan Durgut’s journey took her to Lucerne via the German Emmi subsidiary, where she initially worked in marketing for several years, most recently as Global Marketing Manager. Numerous sustainability aspects have been incorporated into the marketing strategy, particularly with regard to packaging and raw materials. In 2022, she took the opportunity to work as a sustainability project manager and then took on the global role of Head Group Sustainability after three years.
Pioneering work for a new world of work
Emmi sees changes in the world of work as an opportunity to better meet the challenges of today and tomorrow. The Emmi Pioneers initiative encourages teams to set out to try out new, unconventional ways of working together, empowering employees with greater decision-making authority to encourage ownership at every level.
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Solving the challenges of a sustainable future is only possible in a collaborative and holistic way. In this respect, the succession solution for the packaging division at Emmi Italia Dessert is impressive. It not only embodies a holistic approach but also serves as a practical test for a future-oriented organisational structure.
The packaging division at Emmi Dessert Italia has redefined teamwork. When the long-standing head of the division left the company at the end of 2022 after a long and successful career, replacing his knowledge and experience proved challenging. He has since been replaced by a cross-departmental team. Team members share the former leadership role but otherwise continue to work in their current roles in marketing, procurement and logistics. The unusual solution proves to be a true stroke of luck. This is because the interdisciplinary team now approaches packaging topics from their respective perspectives, which is essential as the issues have generally become more complex and sustainability aspects have become more important. The results are comprehensively verified and backed by solid evidence. The activities are coordinated by a member of the team. Finding the optimal organisational structure first involved defining roles and responsibilities. The team found this both challenging and instructive and were glad they could have this experience.
Further details on sustainability efforts and key indicators can be found in the Sustainability Report.