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Mission
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Mission

30 October 2025

ACEA thinking outside ACEA: How a 110-years old, asset-intensive company innovates its Innovation model and designs an Innovation Factory

Authors: Maria Isabella Leone, Laura De Lorenzis.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               Abstract: Even today, as in the times of ancient Rome, May is considered the month of sowing and new opportunities. Also, in Acea it is time for unveiling a new course of actions. Born in the south of Italy but grown up in Milan, Stefano Antonio Donnarumma, was aware of this opportunity, when he entered the Acea main building, in the role of the new CEO in May 2017. Donnarumma’s mission was not the most ordinary one: to launch Acea into the future, not in a progressive way but in an incomparable leap forward. In Donnarumma's mind, a single imperative: how to turn an industrial, asset-intensive company into an open and smart company and do it fast. Download Case Study Request Teaching Notes

Case Studies

30 October 2025

Danone: A purpose driven company

Authors: Alessandro Zattoni, Jordana Rech Graciano dos Santos                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Abstract: At the beginning of 2023, Danone SA group operates in over 120 countries with a diverse product portfolio focused on fresh dairy products, early life nutrition, water, and medical nutrition. Since several decades, Danone group is striving to combine successfully purpose and profit. In 2023, about 74% of Danone global sales are covered by B Corp certification and the group aims at obtaining a global B Corp Certification by 2025. In line with its vision “One Planet. One Health”, the corporate goal is to combine profit and purpose. However, satisfying these two company goals is a continuous struggle as it is not easy to predict (ex-ante) if the strategic plan or decisions will address satisfactorily the trade-off between profit and purpose. As a result, it is still an open question if a listed company with dispersed ownership (like Danone SA) can combine purpose and profit. Download Case Study Request Teaching Notes

Case Studies