In Good Company with Nicolai Tangen Givaudan CEO: The Art of Perfumery, Creating Iconic Scents and Building a Caring Culture
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Feb 18, 2026 
Gilles Andrier, longtime CEO of Givaudan and expert in perfumery and flavor science, shares how iconic scents and tastes are crafted. He discusses the perfumery funnel, training noses at Givaudan’s school, the role of new molecules and trends, making food healthier without losing taste, and building a caring, high-performance company culture.
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Taste Tech Enables Healthier Food
- Taste solutions help make healthier food palatable by modulating sweetness, saltiness and bitterness.
- Andrier explains taste modulators enable lower sugar, salt or fat without sacrificing repeat consumption.
Formulas Are Owned, Not Patented
- Givaudan owns formulas created during unpaid brief competitions and supplies them while the product stays on shelf.
- Andrier clarifies IP is trade secret ownership, not patents, and revenue comes from manufacturing sales.
Small Cost, Big Consumer Impact
- Fragrance and flavor inputs are a tiny share of product cost but disproportionately drive liking.
- Andrier notes fragrances are ~4–5% of COGS and flavors ~0.5–0.6%, yet they heavily influence repurchase.