Nestlé officially opens Shared Service Centre in Ukraine

Nestlé today officially opened its Shared Business Service Centre in L’viv, Ukraine.

The centre will provide standard and cost-effective internal financial and employee services to Nestlé operating companies in more than 20 countries in Central and Eastern Europe.

As the fifth centre of its kind set up by Nestlé since 2006, Ukraine joins Brazil, the Philippines, Ghana, and a satellite centre in Egypt, in providing a single location from which to complete specific activities such as employee payroll and invoicing.

Laurent Freixe, Executive Vice President of Nestlé and Head of Zone Europe, attended the inauguration ceremony in L’viv along with Jean-Marc Duvoisin, Deputy Executive Vice President of Nestlé and Head of Human Resources and Centre Administration; and Stéphane Alby, Head of Global Nestlé Business Services.

Others in attendance were Alfredo Silva, Head of Human Resources for Nestlé Zone Europe; Simon Smith, Head of Finance for Nestlé Zone Europe; and Maurizio Patarnello, Market Head of Nestlé in Ukraine and Moldova.

Mykhailo Tsymbalyuk, Governor of the L’viv region; and Andriy Sadovyi, the city’s Mayor, were also present.

Mr Freixe reiterated why L’viv had been selected as the location for the centre.

He said: “L’viv was chosen for its location due to its local infrastructures, the talent potential, real estate and office space availability and the cost competitiveness. In addition, the city is linked to the history of Nestlé in Ukraine as it is also home to Nestlé’s Svitoch company.”

“With the opening of the Shared Business Service Centre, we have also significantly strengthened Nestlé’s position in Ukraine and the role of the Ukraine in Central and Eastern Europe.”

Already fully serving Nestlé in the Ukraine and Russia, the L’viv centre will soon support its operating companies in Poland, the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

By 2012 it will also support Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania, Greece and the Adriatic markets, which include Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia.

The centre, whose creation was originally announced in September 2010, already employs 180 highly skilled experts in the field of Finance and Human Resources, with its total staff expected to reach 230 in the coming months.

It promises to boost the local talent pool by providing professional training in technology and management skills, as well as working with local universities to develop training programmes in foreign languages and international finance.