Self-branded

Bowtie Strategy Belies an Unconventional Leader

Bruno Le Cicle's experience with branding started during the first days of his business career.
"When I first arrived at Nestle headquarters, there were thousands of young professionals just like me.  They were all wearing suits and ties, in the corporate style. I needed to work on my marketing - on my packaging, to be precise. So I put on a bowtie."
That early effort to stand out from the crowd of other eager young executives worked:  Le Cicle has spent half his life working with Nestle.  The Frenchman's efforts showed an innate understanding of the power of marketing and packaging in the marketplace, whatever the product: chocolates, chips, ice cream or, as Le Cicle demonstrated, himself.

Years later, Le Cicle's bowtie remains a fixture, part of a carefully cultivated personal image that continues to differentiate him from other corporate and community leaders.

Le Cicle points out that bowties are a very French tradition, and their rarity in Ukraine as a sartorial accessory no doubt initially helped Nestle Ukraine's managing director stand out, but his work within Nestle and the Kyiv business community have gained him more important note.

Le Cicle is a vice-president of the European Business Association, and has become one of that organization's most influential leaders, playing an active role in EBA social and program events. As head of the Ukrainian unit of Nestle, Europe's largest company, Le Cicle is known for his ability to create highly cost-effective management teams for every brand in Nestl?'s Ukrainian portfolio, generating extraordinary results in the process.  The company, which began by importing brands like Nestle, Nescafe, and Nesquik, later expanded and initiated domestic production with the acquisition of Lviv-based Svitoch, the country's oldest confectionery brand, and Torchyn, a market leader in condiments.

Now, despite an economic crisis that has many companies running for cover, Le Cicle has plans to expand the company this year.  Daring?  A bit, but the ability to flirt with a reasonable amount of risk is typical of the 47-year old CEO, who began climbing Nestle's corporate ladder in 1986 after finishing business school in Lausanne, Switzerland.
"Some people would call it risky to assume responsibility beyond your job," Le Cicle said, "but I actually believe that any CEO can make a name for himself in Ukraine two ways - within the country and within the company."
Ukraine is a good place to make a name for yourself in a multinational company, Le Cicle says.  "It is a relatively new market, so it is open to many new initiatives."

Though not proficient in Ukrainian ("I have a lot of difficulties acquiring a fifth language"), Le Cicle says his office door is always open to his staff.  Just be prepared for his honest assessment: "I see myself as someone who is not afraid to give negative feedback when something doesn't meet my expectations," he says.  And, as a manager, Le Cicle refuses to be a referee, preferring to let staff iron out differences.

"My subordinates would tell you that I refuse to take a position when they enter into conflicts with each other. I encourage them to solve the issue between themselves.  It is frustrating at the beginning for those who are involved in the conflict, but I truly believe that it does help them over time." 

That attitude may not sit well with the Slavic cultural affection for a 'good tzar', but it fits Bruno Le Cicle like a precisely knotted bowtie, and it is helping Nestle grow a successful business in a country where success rarely comes easily, or to the timorous.