Pros
Givaudan has many smart, passionate people, who are ambitious for themselves and want to create new ways of doing things and make a difference. People work very hard and have a lot of expertise.
Cons
It has an individualistic culture - not much team-playing across functions; political and abrasive with everyone (on the 'business-side' at least) having an opinion which some people share to put you down and others just back-stab you with a smile. When you meet and work with good people it is all the more appreciated and there are some real gems at Givaudan at all levels below top management, but there is insufficent trust between people and a cultural clash between US (individualistic, competitive and often arrogant - think they should be the HQ) and Switzerland (dull, aloof and reistant to change) with Holland (straight-talking but off at a tangent - mostly ex-Quest staff) out on a limb. The matrix management is overly complex and there is also a tension of regions vs business units and functions. Givaudan is over-complex when it needs to be simpler to understand and navigate. It is an inward-looking company where you have to work five years before anyone considers you an employee with an opinion worth listening to. People management is a real weakness in many areas, but not all.
