ALTIX INDUSTRY CHAMPION INTERVIEW
Each quarter we sit down with industry executives and thought leaders to discuss the trends, challenges, and best practices that are transforming their businesses.
Today we are delighted to welcome Amy McDonald, President of MANE Inc. Flavors North America.
About Our Industry Champion
Amy, you have had a fascinating journey—trained as a scientist and biochemist, you launched your career at Unilever’s Quest International in a technical role and advanced into leadership roles at multi-million-dollar companies as well as small family-owned companies.
For our readers, please introduce yourself and share the highlights of your career path and what has shaped your leadership style the most?
I’ve been fortunate to spend more than 36 years in the flavor industry—an industry I didn’t even know existed when I was at university studying microbiology and chemistry. I began in very technical roles, but two or three years in, I realized I got tremendous energy from working with people. I shifted into technical sales, then into sales and marketing leadership, later adding responsibility for R&D and operations. Over time, I became president of several organizations, combining my technical background with leadership.
One of the great advantages of my career is having worked in every kind of ownership structure, publicly held, privately held, private equity, and entrepreneurial startups. My first 17 years at Quest International, a large public company, gave me invaluable foundational training—in finance, HR, and operational efficiencies—and even sponsored me to complete an Executive MBA at INSEAD in France. That experience, coming right after 9/11, was eye-opening culturally and academically.
I then moved to a small-to-midsize family business, helping put foundational structures in place as it scaled. Later, I worked in a highly entrepreneurial company, where every efficiency and short-term impact mattered, and then in private equity, where there’s an intense focus on results. Today, at MANE, I feel I’ve found the best of all worlds: a humble, privately held, family-owned business with a long-term ambitious vision, strong environmental and industry leadership, high technical standards, and deep care for people—operating on a truly international stage. Each step along the way has been a steppingstone to where I am now.
About MANE
For those who may not be familiar with MANE, can you share the fascinating history of this French family-owned company and tell us about the industries it serves and some examples of applications of your products?
MANE is a fascinating, fifth-generation, family-owned business that many people haven’t heard of—yet. We operate globally in three main areas: flavors, fragrances, and the ingredients that make them possible. Our products can be found featured in some of your favorite food, beverage, personal care and fragrances items at the grocery store and through other retailers. With more than 8,000 collaborators—a deliberate choice of word that reflects our culture of partnership rather than hierarchy—we focus on creating sensory experiences that connect to taste, smell, and emotion.
What surprised me most when I joined was the depth of our technology. Beyond the artistry of flavors and fragrances, we have advanced capabilities ranging from discovering new molecules to engineering how a flavor delivers its full sensory impact. We balance creativity with cutting-edge science.
The company has just transitioned from fourth- to fifth-generation leadership, with Samantha Mane as our first female president. Over the past decades, MANE has grown into the fifth-largest flavor and fragrance company in the world. In North America, we’re not yet in the top five—but that’s where we’re headed.
As the flavor market has grown, so has MANE, and mostly via organic market share versus acquisition. We win through technology and deep relationships. As you can imagine, today there is more and more demand for natural flavor. Our roots in naturals go back more than 150 years, long before “clean label” was a trend, starting from the family’s origins in agriculture.
MANE is among the top five global flavor and fragrance companies in the world yet, holds less than its ranking would indicate in market share in North America. What is your mission to strengthen MANE’s market position in this region and accelerate its growth in North America?
In my role leading the North America food business—which includes flavors, natural colors, and select ingredients—my vision is for us to be a jewel in the global MANE group. We’re in one of the largest flavor markets in the world. And our taste solutions span beverages, confections, dairy, culinary, snacks, anything you can eat or drink that has flavor.
We currently hold less than 5% market share in North America, but our goal is to more than double that by 2031. To get there, we’re diversifying our customer base, and targeting fast-growing segments like functional nutrition—protein drinks, hydration products, bars, and supplements where our technology can enhance flavor or mask undesirable tastes. We’ve also invested over $108 million in a new liquid manufacturing facility in Woodlawn, Ohio. We celebrated the grand opening of this incredible expansion bringing 5x current capacity to meet our customers’ needs in April of this year. This expansion supports our growth ambition and provides our customers with the confidence to know we can serve their needs for the long term.
I believe growth starts with our people and isn’t just about our markets and our manufacturing capabilities. By investing in our team, expanding capabilities, and fostering opportunities to thrive, we can serve our customers with excellence—not only in reacting to their needs, but by proactively anticipating them.
Innovation at MANE
Your company has an impressive legacy in science and solution development, with exceptional R&D capabilities. For our readers, can you share how innovation typically happens in your industry? Is it more pull-driven—developing solutions in response to customer needs—or push-driven—creating innovations that the market later adopts? And how does MANE specifically approach innovation?
Innovation in our industry is both pull and push. On one side, customers come to us with a brief—say, a new beverage or snack concept—and we respond with consumer insights and technologies to help them bring that vision to life. That might mean masking an off note, enhancing sweetness or saltiness, or creating a unique flavor experience. On the other side, we proactively identify trends through consumer research and then develop the technologies needed to meet those emerging demands—such as replacing artificial colors and flavors to meet clean-label expectations.
Here in North America, most of our work is in applied technologies—combining flavors with encapsulation or other delivery systems to control release, protect flavor, or create impact. Imagine something that tastes super sweet or tangy at first, then evolves as you consume it—that’s the science behind flavor release. The deeper molecular chemistry is done at our headquarters in France, and together we integrate that global research into solutions tailored for our markets.
One of my favorite recent examples was a multi-year collaboration with a global confectionery customer to develop a gum that changes flavor as you chew. They’d dreamed of it for years; together we made it a reality, and last year they launched it successfully, awarding us their Innovation Supplier of the Year award in recognition of the technology and the 25-year+ relationship that made it possible. That’s the essence of innovation here: turning customer and consumer dreams into reality, combining science, creativity, and deep collaboration.
Leadership & Culture
You’ve highlighted key leadership principles centered on fostering a proactive culture to keep pace with today’s accelerating business environment. Acting in “acceleration mode” requires a leader’s vision to effectively connect the dots—linking employees, customers, stakeholders, and their evolving needs in a balanced way that ensures collective success.
How have you instilled this mindset within your team, and in what ways is this approach fueling growth and innovation at MANE?
When I think about leadership, especially in a fast-moving industry like ours, I see it as a responsibility to step above the day-to-day and look out towards the future. It’s about climbing to a higher elevation, scanning the horizon, and then bringing those insights back to inspire and guide the team.
A core part of my leadership philosophy is reserving time for proactive work. The daily grind will fill every hour if you let it, and if your team only ever operates there, you risk doing things the same way for years—missing opportunities for breakthrough change, or leaps as I refer to them. That’s why I encourage our team to “step out of the weeds” and to look beyond our four walls. It’s in those moments—whether it’s reading something unrelated to business on vacation or carving out space in your calendar—that the big leaps happen.
I talk a lot with the team about agility and speed. We live in what I call an “Amazon world,” where consumers (including us) expect instant delivery—of products, information, everything. Our customers expect the same. To keep up, you have to think differently, question every step, and sometimes ask: What if this step wasn’t even needed?
One of my favorite cautionary tales is of the woolly mammoth. This mammal once lived across multiple continents, but as the climate changed and vegetation shifted, it didn’t adapt—and over time the creature went extinct. Businesses can face the same fate if they don’t anticipate change. Even those tiny shifts that happen in the environment around them. Kodak is a recent example. My job as a leader is to ensure our business stays adaptable and sustainable, so we never become the woolly mammoth of our industry.
To keep innovation and leadership aligned, I use what I call the “Corporate Triangle” model, a model I learned about from a Harvard Business Review article. This triangle places customers, employees, and resources or stakeholders (including owners, community, and the environment) at three equal sides. If one side is neglected, the triangle weakens. But when all three are in balance, decisions become sustainable. A recent example is our new Woodlawn facility—where we invested in solar panels. The payback will take decades, but we did it because it was the right thing for the environment, the community, and our long-term sustainability.
That’s the culture I want: one where we stay agile, think ahead, and balance the needs of all three sides of the triangle—so we can grow, innovate, and thrive for decades to come.
Transformation, Innovation & the Future
The flavor and fragrance industry is rapidly evolving due to shifting consumer preferences, technological advances, and changing global trade dynamics. As a leader, balancing the demands of today while building for the future is critical—a concept known academically as ambidexterity.
Tell us a little more about the investment in the new factory. What’s innovative about it?
We’re very proud of it. Our belief is that as we grow our North American presence, we can serve our customers best. We want them to have complete confidence in our ability to deliver.
This new facility represents a $108 million investment and increases our capacity for liquid flavors fivefold. Liquid flavors touch everything—from beverages, dairy, and confectionery to savory applications and spray-dried bases. The facility is truly state-of-the-art. We invested heavily in automation, while also bringing in technical, well-compensated jobs with real career growth opportunities.
How digitalized is it?
I think about it less in percentages and more in capability. The flavor industry is moving toward variety and customization, so the challenge is producing smaller and mid-sized batches efficiently while still handling larger volumes. Our automation and computer-aided processes allow us to maintain precise quality and consistency. We also incorporated unique design elements on the floor and in tank handling, all built with future growth in mind.
Being privately held gives us the independence to make long-term investments like this—decisions that might not pay off for years, but secure confidence for our customers for decades.
Safety is our highest priority. In making decisions in our building plan we also applied what I call the “safety triangle”—equally applying engineering safe practices, with training and management best practice to ensure we are thinking forward and doing the right thing. Every capital decision and operational plan begins with that framework. Safety isn’t just a requirement; it’s part of our culture and how we think about growth.
Looking ahead, what trends do you see, and what inspires you as a leader?
Actually, inspiration is the very heart of my vision. I want MANE to be inspiring—for our customers, our employees, and our community. For customers, that means proactive solutions and cutting-edge technology. For employees, it’s creating an environment where they can thrive, learn, and support their families. For our community, it’s about being strong stewards—supporting the local community through volunteering and charitable efforts, caring for the environment, and being a reliable partner.
We have over 900 employees in Ohio, and this responsibility drives everything we do. Inspiration fuels results: when we do right by people, customers, and the community, the business follows.
In terms of trends, we’ve already talked about speed and agility being key. I believe ability to operate in a fast changing and ambiguous setting is a critical success factor to businesses today. My job as a leader is to enable this to happen through removal of roadblocks, simplifying the business and creating space for experimentation and new ways of working. It’s also about giving people a chance and supporting them as they learn.
I would like MANE to be a magnet: attracting great customers, talented employees, and committed community partners. Success isn’t just about production; it’s about creating opportunities for connection and solving needs. When we focus on people and their needs first, the rest takes care of itself.
Personal Insights
Thank you so much for sharing all those insights about yourself, the company, and your vision for the future. A question we like to ask our Industry Champions is this: as business leaders managing large-scale transformation, the demands are intense—for you, your team, and everyone around you. How do you maintain your energy, your focus, and your work-life balance? Where do you find the energy to keep going?
I’m glad you used the word energy, because that’s exactly where I start. I pay very close attention to what gives me energy and what takes it away. For me, energy comes from adventure and curiosity. I love traveling, reading, and learning—constantly exploring new ideas and perspectives. Over the past couple of years, I’ve also spent a lot of time reflecting on a growth mindset—how I can shift behaviors, both for myself and for others, to keep learning and growing.
Travel and adventure are especially energizing. I enjoy planning new experiences, getting a little disconnected from phones and the internet, and just focusing on being present. Early in my career, that might have been riding at dude ranches in the West, where there was no cell service—you had to fully engage with the moment. More recently, I’ve explored remote parts of Costa Rica, places without electricity, where I could just observe, reflect, and recharge.
Planning the next adventure gives me energy—it’s a way to step outside the day-to-day, reset, and return refreshed. That curiosity and love of exploration fuel the energy I bring to work, my team, and the challenges we tackle together.
Thank you again, Amy, for participating in the ALTIX Industry Champion interview. We are excited and honored to feature you in the ALTIX ACCESS 2025 Q3 Newsletter.
