Society : M. Pénicaud / R. Oswald
Can labor unions and management build a global dialog?
See video of Ron Oswald and Muriel Pénicaud
Ron Oswald:
-Since 1997: General Secretary of the IUF
British-born Ron Oswald has been General Secretary of the IUF since 1997. He became a union member in 1969 while working as a baggage handler for a British airline. From 1982 to 1987, he worked with unions in Africa, the Caribbean and Central America. He then joined IUF where he has been ever since, championing its efforts to win recognition of unions and workers’ rights from companies in the food, agricultural and hotel sectors, and eventually taking over from Dan Gallin. He has signed several international agreements with Danone, including a 1997 workers’ rights agreement, a 2005 accord on fundamental social principles, and a 2007 diversity agreement.
Muriel Pénicaud:
• 1991: adviser to the French Ministry of Labor, Employment and Vocational Training
• 1993: joined Danone as head of training, then head of organizations and HR policies
• 2002 to end 2007: Executive Vice President at Dassault Systèmes in charge of organization, human resources and sustainable development
• Since 2008: Vice President, Human Resources at Danone, and member of the Executive Committee
Muriel Pénicaud is responsible for maintaining and expanding the social innovation approach adopted by Danone. Since 2009, she has chaired the Board of Directors of the Danone Ecosystem Fund. She is a member of the France’s National Council on Labor Relations (Haut Conseil du dialogue social) and was recently appointed by the French Prime Minister to take part in a national stressprevention initiative.