Nestlé Waters
Building Global Alignment Through Digital Strategy, CSR & Reputation
Industry
Consumer Goods
Scope
Digital Strategy Consultant – Corporate Communications & Reputation (1-year mission, Issy-Les-Moulineaux HQ).
Context
In 2018, I joined Nestlé Waters HQ in Switzerland on a strategic assignment to support the global transformation of communications, both internal and external.
The context was complex: growing pressure on brand reputation (water rights, plastics, sustainability), a fragmented digital ecosystem, and the urgent need to unify 33 markets around a coherent, purpose-driven narrative. I was brought in to lead strategy across internal comms, digital channels, CSR content, reputation management, and advocacy, helping reposition the company from within.
My Role
Lead the digital transformation of internal and external communications for 33 markets.
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My first mission was to lead the global rollout of Workplace by Facebook, replacing an obsolete intranet and activating a more collaborative, transparent internal culture — particularly for non-connected field and factory employees.
I designed and orchestrated the full adoption strategy, including:
A champions network across markets and functions
Executive onboarding for the CEO, C-suite, and regional VPs
A structured group architecture and global editorial calendar
Toolkits, onboarding packs, and training for local comms relays
KPI frameworks to monitor platform adoption, engagement, and content contribution
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I led the transformation of Nestlé Waters' corporate digital presence — turning disconnected social channels into a strategic platform for trust, transparency and CSR engagement.
I defined the core editorial pillars (water stewardship, plastic responsibility, community initiatives, employee voices)
Developed evergreen content kits and long-form editorial assets (e.g. “20 Questions About Water” campaign)
Reframed the corporate tone of voice and visual identity across LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook
Created a playbook to align global and local content strategies
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To drive engagement and credibility, I launched a global advocacy program built on internal empowerment and leadership visibility.
I coached the CEO and senior leaders on LinkedIn presence and thought leadership
Turned internal Workplace content into external CSR proof-points
Collaborated with HR and Sustainability to amplify stories around employee impact, diversity, and World Water Day
Helped build a continuous advocacy loop between internal culture and public reputation
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In an environment of rising scrutiny — from Flint to Guarani to Middle East backlash on water rights and plastic — I developed and activated Nestlé Waters' social media issue management framework.
Weekly monitoring of risks, sentiment, and priority topics via Talkwalker and Sprinklr
Definition of issue clusters and legal-approved response kits
Operational playbooks for live escalation, community management, and market coordination
Collaboration with Publicis/MSL and Nestlé Group’s global ESG and Crisis teams
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I led the optimization of paid media to strengthen CSR visibility, trust and thought leadership.
Audited performance across Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube
Prioritized editorial-driven campaigns (World Water Day, plastics, community initiatives)
Developed dashboards tracking engagement KPIs: view-through rate (VTR), time spent, cost per engagement (CPE)
Integrated brand sentiment and content performance into reporting loopsItem description
Some Achievements
By 2020, our LinkedIn average engagement rate exceeded 6.6%, more than 10x the industry benchmark, and our reach doubled, driven by high-performing CSR content and executive advocacy.
The strategic external communications framework helped reduce negative mentions by 43%, while ensuring a 98% response rate on critical comments with transparency, agility and consistency across regions.
Within 6 months, Workplace became the core internal platform ..
… fostering peer recognition, CEO visibility, and real-time storytelling from local teams. The approach positioned employees, not just the brand, as ambassadors for Nestlé Waters' purpose and actions.
In 2020, our campaign on plastics and transparency included the launch of Nestlé Waters' first corporate podcast, elevating long-form expert voices and scientific dialogue.
It became our best-performing campaign of the year, with video VTR above 65%, a +22% increase in qualified traffic, and record organic amplification by employees and stakeholders.
Results
This mission allowed me to:
Lead a global internal transformation while aligning digital comms across 33 markets
Build a modern, credible corporate voice rooted in CSR and transparency
Activate executives and employees as reputation builders
Create resilient ESG issue management protocols in a high-risk, high-scrutiny environment
Shift communications from reactive to strategic with measurable impact on trust, advocacy and engagements