Driving Quality Culture in Global Beverage Manufacturing with Nada Galesne-Armand, Group Director, Quality at Refresco [Speaker Spotlight]

Driving Quality Culture Across Global Beverage Operations: Spotlight on Nada Galesne-Armand

Quality isn’t just compliance – it’s the backbone of consumer trust in global beverage manufacturing. Nada Galesne-Armand is leading that transformation at Refresco, the world’s largest independent beverage solutions provider.

Ahead of her session at the European Food Manufacturing Summit (April 29–30, Düsseldorf), we asked Nada Galesne-Armand, Group Director of Quality at Refresco, how she’s embedding a “quality-always” mindset across 75 production sites worldwide, turning compliance into culture and culture into competitive advantage.

Could you begin with a brief introduction about yourself and an overview of your responsibilities as the Group Director of Quality at Refresco?

I’ve spent over 20 years in quality leadership roles across global food and beverage companies, in highly sensitive and fast-paced categories such as infant formula, baby food, and plant-based drinks, across different geographies. My passion has always been fostering cultures where quality is not just a compliance requirement but a strategic advantage.

Today at Refresco, I oversee quality strategies that impact 75 sites across 14 countries, ensuring consistency, food safety, and customer satisfaction in a highly dynamic industry.

How do you transform quality from a compliance-driven function into a strategic enabler?

It starts with mindset: positioning quality as a driver of customer trust and operational resilience rather than a checklist. From there, we embed quality into every decision, supported by structured systems that enable consistency and scalability.

A key enabler is the Refresco Manufacturing System (RMS), which standardizes processes, KPIs, and rituals across all plants. This framework has helped us achieve measurable improvements in safety and service levels – making quality a true strategic advantage. But strategy alone isn’t enough; the real transformation happens where products are made. We believe magic happens at the shop floor – when our 14,000 colleagues live and breathe quality every day.

That’s why we focus on engaging teams, building capability, and creating a culture where quality isn’t just a policy, but a shared responsibility and a source of pride.

"A key enabler is the Refresco Manufacturing System (RMS), which standardizes processes, KPIs, and rituals across all plants. This framework has helped us achieve measurable improvements in safety and service levels – making quality a true strategic advantage. But strategy alone isn’t enough; the real transformation happens where products are made. We believe magic happens at the shop floor – when our 14,000 colleagues live and breathe quality every day."

How is Refresco leveraging data and automation to manage quality proactively?

Digitalization and automation are a continued focus at Refresco. Examples include operational dashboards and automated utilities monitoring, which enable proactive management of water, energy, and quality metrics, reducing risk and improving performance overall.

Could you share a recent continuous improvement success story?

One of our greatest strengths is the ability to share learnings across our global network. With 75 plants, improvements in one location can quickly benefit others, creating a compounding effect.

Recently, we explored how advanced technologies and data-driven insights can accelerate problem-solving and strengthen preventive measures. By leveraging AI and digital tools, we’ve reduced the time required for root cause analysis reporting from a full day to just 15 minutes, while improving the quality and depth of those reports. Beyond speed, these tools help teams focus on process failures and systemic gaps rather than human mistakes, reinforcing a blame-free learning culture.

This approach not only drives faster resolution and more accurate insights but also encourages continuous improvement across all sites. Our ultimate goal is to achieve operational excellence, combining technology, shared learning, and cultural transformation to deliver consistent quality and performance.

What role do supplier partnerships play in maintaining high-quality standards?

Suppliers are integral to our quality ecosystem, and we’ve taken significant steps to strengthen consistency and efficiency across our network. A key milestone was the launch of a central supplier onboarding process, which standardizes requirements for all business units and streamlines approval for suppliers working with multiple regions.

This approach embeds food safety, sustainability, and social compliance standards into every partnership, ensuring that suppliers meet the same high expectations regardless of geography. By aligning requirements and simplifying onboarding, we’ve created a system that enhances compliance, improves resilience, and supports supply chain integrity, critical for delivering quality and meeting customer expectations.

Which leadership practices make quality everyone’s responsibility?

Visible leadership engagement and capability building are key. Programs like our Plant Manager Academy and Maintenance Apprenticeships empower frontline teams to own quality outcomes. We’ve embedded leadership behaviors into daily practices, reinforcing accountability for safety, food safety, and quality at every level.

How do you see the future of quality evolving over the next five years?

Quality will become increasingly predictive and data-driven, supported by AI, machine learning, and real-time analytics. At the same time, cultural transformation and leadership engagement will remain critical because technology alone cannot replace human accountability.

What excites you most about speaking at the European Food Manufacturing Summit?

I’m looking forward to sharing how we’ve integrated quality with operational excellence, topics that are shaping the future of food and beverage manufacturing.

It’s an opportunity to exchange ideas on technology-enhanced quality processes, cultural transformation, and leadership practices that make quality a strategic enabler.