Introduction: Industry in Transformation – Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow
Once defined by mass production, industry today is shaped by three strong waves of change: globalization, digitalization and ecological and societal pressure
These transitions force industrial players to rethink their HR strategies.
Globalisation and Consolidation: An Ongoing Challenge
According to Catherine, many industries now operate worldwide, with headquarters and sites spread across continents. This requires multicultural organisations where creating a shared culture is key, while still respecting local specificities.
The goal is to balance diversity and cohesion, so distant teams can align on a shared vision.
Through European workshops (such as one run for a large food group) or intercultural training for another industrial client, Arnaud has seen that success depends on building bridges between cultures. Collective intelligence can only emerge when people understand and respect cultural differences.
“It’s not just about processes. It’s first about trust and shared meaning.” Catherine Librandi
Companies that invest in people to connect these dispersed worlds will clearly gain a competitive advantage.
Digitalisation: Accelerator or Trap?
Digital tools are powerful accelerators. They make collaboration between scattered teams easier.
But Arnaud warns against false proximity:
“On a call with teams in India or Poland, we think we’re aligned, but cultural differences can lead to very different interpretations.”
Without intercultural awareness, digital tools can actually create more misunderstandings.
Yes, technology helps, but it is only a support. Face-to-face contact, whenever possible, remains essential to build trust.
Digitalisation must therefore be paired with attentive management, able to clear up misunderstandings and turn virtual connections into real collaboration.
Sustainability: Ecological and Social Transformation
For Arnaud, industries, especially in food, are experiencing a revolution.
Decarbonisation, heat recovery, water reuse… These projects are now strategic. They are validated by executive boards, driven both by regulations and by societal expectations.
What was once seen as unprofitable is now unavoidable.
Catherine adds that sustainability also includes social aspects: diversity, inclusion, and performance. Labels and certifications are not just window dressing; they force companies to question themselves and measure progress.
“These labels show real commitment and can even strengthen credibility with talent.” Catherine
By 2025, sustainability has become a driver of both attractiveness and retention, shaping the image of a company engaged and aligned with the values of younger generations.
Rethinking Industrial Recruitment
Everything is accelerating, and recruitment in industry is under pressure in many roles. Attracting and selecting the right profiles means rethinking traditional methods and daring to do things differently.
Arnaud points to the food sector, where operational roles are often avoided because of outdated images: factories seen as noisy or difficult places, with little understanding of modern reality. These jobs suffer from low attractiveness, causing chronic shortages.
“According to ANIA (the French national food industry association), more than 30,000 positions remain unfilled each year, and 61% of recruitments are considered difficult. This shows how urgent it has become for companies to rethink employer attractiveness.” Arnaud
More broadly, technical and technological roles such as maintenance or quality are also in high demand.
At middle and top management levels, the issue shifts. Here, soft skills often matter more than technical expertise. The challenge is no longer just to find experts, but leaders who can manage change and inspire their teams.
Together, Catherine and Arnaud suggest four ways to rethink recruitment in industry:
- Prioritise soft skills – Evaluate adaptability and innovation, since the ability to evolve matters more than fixed knowledge.
- Hire outside the sector – Broaden sourcing to related fields. A candidate from another sector can bring fresh perspectives and complementary skills.
- Look internationally – A multicultural approach brings value. With its multilingual network and global presence, numaH helps clients recruit abroad.
- Rely on collective expertise – numaH consultants cover diverse industries (automotive, food, chemicals, etc.) and work closely together. This diversity widens the talent pool and deepens sector knowledge.
Talent Management and Coaching: Helping Teams Grow
Internal development helps companies keep their talents and prepare for future roles. Talent management and coaching are therefore key levers.
Soft Skills: The New Core of Development
As Catherine puts it:
“Soft is the new hard.”
In a digital and uncertain world, behavioural skills are essential to adapt, innovate, and drive change.
At numaH, assessments help map employees’ strengths and hidden potential. From standard assessments to tailored exercises simulating real work situations, these tools reveal both current skills and development opportunities.
Another tool: 360 feedback, which combines input from peers, managers, teams, and the employee themselves. It highlights differences in perception, uncovers blind spots, and aligns self-image with external feedback.
Such tools support recruitment, internal mobility, and managerial development.
An external firm like numaH plays a crucial role here, offering neutrality, proven methodology, expertise in soft skills, and a multicultural approach adapted to international contexts.
Coaching: Driving Individual and Collective Transformation
Arnaud highlights coaching at different levels: onboarding for new hires, or executive committee support. Coaching develops cohesion, strengthens communication, and builds high-performing teams.
It creates a safe space for leaders to step back, realign, and regain meaning. By working on themselves, leaders become able to inspire and guide their teams through transformation.
Tools like Dilts’ Pyramid help align values, behaviours, and goals at both individual and group level.
Arnaud also mentions PeerPowered sessions, where CEOs from different sectors (consumer goods, energy, food, automotive, chemicals, telecom, animal nutrition) share experiences. These cross-sector exchanges provide perspective and inspiration, directly linked to globalisation challenges.
The benefits of external coaching include:
- reducing internal bias
- offering a fresh perspective
- creating trust and openness
- ensuring ethics and confidentiality
- providing specialised expertise
Industry in Transition: Talent as a Strategic Pillar
Industry is changing, and without adaptation there is no competitiveness.
Investing in soft skills, rethinking recruitment, and focusing on talent management and coaching are key to preparing teams for tomorrow’s challenges.
Blending a human-centred approach, anticipation, and expertise is exactly numaH’s vision, bringing an external, multicultural, and tailored perspective.
Together, we can build bridges between today’s talents and the needs of tomorrow’s industry.
