This story is part of a series that highlights the impact Danoners have made in the organization, the various roles they take on, and why they love working for Danone.
When it comes to building a career, the once-traditional ladder analogy no longer applies, according to VP of Target & Pure Play Ecommerce Sales, Nick Affatato. Careers aren’t a straight trajectory anymore – it’s important to take lateral roles.
“Think of a mountain climber,” says Nick. “They don't go straight up; they go left, right, left, right. You don't go straight up the mountain. It doesn't work. I think careers are that way.”
Nick follows his own advice. He came to Danone from Walmart and Sam’s where he was the VP of sales. Here he took on the role of Senior Director in 2019. Fast forward five years and four roles later, Nick is now a VP and leads the Target and eCommerce (Amazon) business.
“I really think it's important to take sideways roles and even lower-level ones at times,” Nick says. “In order to go up, sometimes taking a step sideways or back can propel you forward in the long run to gain valuable experience.”
Nick’s personal career journey isn’t the only one he’s focused on. He’s passionate about helping people and sharing the knowledge he’s gained throughout the course of his career.
Mentoring
Nick has benefited in his career from having strong mentors and career champions and strongly believes that it’s important to give back when possible. Through the Sales’ SEEME mentorship program, Nick has provided career guidance to 17 mentees.
“Anytime an employee gets promoted or recognized, that makes me feel rewarded as well,” Nick says. “That’s what I'm here for. I strongly believe a leader’s responsibility is to help propel others' success.”
Culture Champion
An active culture champion, Nick is a member of the U.S. Culture Council, which recently gave him the opportunity to work on a global initiative to reshape Danone’s HOPE Values and Leadership Behaviors, which were rolled out globally in 2023.
His input also helped raise awareness of the updated behaviors across Danone North America. To help his team better understand the behaviors, he created videos and wallet reference cards to reinforce the importance across NORAM.
Nick also co-chairs the sales engagement committee, SEEME: Sales Employee Engagement Matters Every Day. The program is a forum for Sales team members to voice their concerns which are then relayed to senior leadership. Launched in 2019, SEEME has been incredibly successful for the Sales team since its inception and is regarded as a model for other departments.
“In general, the salesforce feels better, more engaged, more supported than they had previously,” Nick says.
And once a year, Nick spends a month working on Danone North America’s internal peer recognition program, the One Awards. He serves on a small council that reviews hundreds of nominations before sending the finalists to senior leadership for employees to be recognized by the CEO.
In addition to his Danone roles, Nick is also a dad. He coaches his children’s competitive soccer teams, which sometimes requires out-of-state travel to games and after-school practices. He attributes Danone’s culture of fostering work-life flexibility to his ability to actively take part in his children’s activities.
“At no time have I felt like I can't do something personally or for my family that I need to do because of work,” Nick says.
He takes pride in working for a company that strives to use business as a force to make the world a better place, and knowing that his children are proud of what he does for a living – even if they aren’t sure exactly what that is.
“My children tell their friends that I sell healthy food to make people better,” Nick says. “And that’s just great to hear.”
Are you interested in a career at Danone? Join Nick and the 6000-plus North American employees who proudly call themselves “Danoners.” Apply for a job at our Career website today.