Venture Club Stories: Florian Viton, Global Head of Strategic Innovation at CJ CheilJedang

Florian's Innovation Journey

Q: Can you tell us a bit about yourself, your current role and what excites you the most about innovation at CJ CheilJedang?
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I'm Florian Viton, Global Head of Strategic Innovation at CJ Cheiljedang, the largest food company in South Korea, leading the globalisation of K-Foods. I started my career with a PhD in Organic Chemistry from the University of Geneva in Switzerland, with the ambition to join the Pharmaceutical Industry. 

That was until I had the opportunity to join Nestle and the Food Industry in the mid-2000s—that took me down a new path, one that I never regretted. After a 15-year stint with Nestle’s R&D division in Switzerland and Singapore, I joined CJ Cheiljedang in early 2021, a decision driven mostly by the appeal of contributing to CJ Cheiljedang’s fast-tracked globalisation plan and boosted by an interest in all things Korean.

My current role at CJ CheilJedang involves leading innovation beyond our core Food and Beverage portfolio and creating new growth engines for the company. This can take the form of new commercial categories and ventures.

The challenge of driving innovation within the dynamic environment and unique culture of a South Korean company has been pretty exciting. We're pushing the boundaries of innovation beyond our core products, which is crucial for laying the foundation for the sustainable future of the company and introducing Korean flavours to a broader global audience. It's been a fantastic adventure so far.

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Q: You've had a fascinating career journey through R&D, business development, and now strategic innovation. Was there a pivotal moment or a project that confirmed your passion for innovation?
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Innovation is an undefined territory in the sense that everyone innovates. That has been what has fueled my passion over the years. Innovation connects people, and the best innovations emerge from cross-functional projects, blending the creativity of diverse individuals with diverse competencies.

The real spark for me has always come from projects that bring together varied perspectives and expertise, resulting in significant impact—whether in upstream R&D or, more recently, in commercial and new ventures.

Bridging research and market-ready innovation

Q: As someone with deep roots in chemistry and materials science, how has your technical expertise helped you bridge the gap between research and market-ready innovation?
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I believe a PhD is generally a wonderful foundation to nurture one’s appetite to learn continuously, as well as to get the necessary discipline to develop and execute complex strategies. Perhaps more importantly, it fosters the openness and mental agility required to connect seemingly unrelated fields of knowledge and expertise. 

For me, this foundation has always been critical, if not hugely useful, to leading diverse teams of innovators towards solutions that create real impact.

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Q: How do you ensure that innovation projects are aligned with real market demands, and what strategies do you use to bring technical and commercial teams together effectively?
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For the type of exploration activities we run (i.e. venture building in a corporate context), I no longer believe in traditional market and consumer research approaches. Our approach is based on rapid prototyping and rapid “real world” testing through small commercial test launches, which then evolve into more solid MVPs and go-to-market strategies.

This dynamic approach offers a significant advantage: It bridges the typical gap between long-term technical development and short-term commercial timelines. It’s more conducive to the effective guidance of cross-functional teams around common ambitions.

Creating a culture of innovation

Q: Corporate adaptability is a recurring challenge that many Venture Club members speak of and face. How do you think companies like CJ CheilJedang can balance established practices with rapid innovation?
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This is indeed a fundamental challenge for any large corporation. This is because large corporates are set up to exploit their existing portfolio rather than explore new territories; the challenge becomes even more pronounced in companies or regions where cultural traditions favour maintaining established practices—an approach that has admittedly brought significant success in the past.

At CJ CheilJedang, we’re not immune to such challenges. However, our rapid global expansion has become a powerful catalyst for change, pushing us to evolve our way of working. We’re very conscious that what made us so successful in Korea might no longer be sufficient to realise our global ambitions. 

This understanding is a strong motivator to innovate with speed and agility and to adopt innovation modes that will enable us to concurrently grow our existing portfolio and innovate beyond it.
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Q: What are some of your go-to leadership strategies for fostering an innovative culture across diverse teams and complex projects?
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I always ask myself “why not” instead of “why” when faced with new opportunities. I’m naturally open and believe there’s something good in everything, and that has proven critical to allowing and then making the unexpected happen. Because it's a great way for me to learn and build strong teams, I'm also always hungry to engage with people who know more than I do.

I try to stay humble, but I'm ambitious. I’m shy, but I stand up for the ideas that I truly believe will create value for both the company and my colleagues. Over the years, I’ve tried to lead with these principles, and I’ve been fortunate and blessed to see the development and growth of the people in my teams, sometimes even beyond their expectations.

Building innovation through education and openness

Q: From your volunteer work and experience in academia, it’s clear you value the role of education in innovation. What lessons or values do you think are most important to pass on to aspiring innovators?
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One of the reasons I teach has been to champion some of the core values that I believe drive innovation. For example, openness in both giving and receiving knowledge, curiosity to bridge diverse fields and backgrounds, and generosity in sharing insights with others. 

Over my two decades in innovation, I've emphasised a crucial lesson to my students: successful innovation requires carefully balancing three key elements—validated consumer needs, technical feasibility that offers true differentiation, and business viability. The key is to test these elements as early as possible in the development process.

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Recharging, inspiration and lessons learned

Q: Innovation often requires recharging and finding new sources of inspiration. Where do you go, and what activities do you engage in to recharge and spark your next big idea?
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I make sure I keep up consistent engagements with external people in academia and startup ecosystems, both of whom are often a good source of engaging conversations and inspiration. 

I also take time to read and stay current on food and technology news and seek out conversations with innovators from industries distant from food. For example, visiting innovation hubs where artists and technologists are collaboratively creating.

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Q: As an innovation leader, what are your top 5 resources or practices that you use to stay inspired and keep learning about new trends in sustainability?
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My approach to staying current involves several key practices: I regularly read quite a few online resources covering food trends and technologies, actively participate in multiple open innovation platforms, and serve as a mentor across various startup ecosystems. 

I make it a point to respond to innovators who reach out, as these unexpected connections often lead to valuable insights. Above all, I believe in the power of speaking to people—do it with purpose or without purpose, and you'll find gems in the most unexpected conversations.

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Q: If you could reimagine or redesign one everyday object or process to be more sustainable, what would it be, and how would you innovate it?
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Being French and in the food space, I would definitely gravitate toward reimagining cheese! In the past decades, the dairy industry has been increasingly challenged by its environmental impact, and despite the rise of dairy alternatives, finding sustainable cheese alternatives that can compare to dairy-based products remains an elusive goal.

Innovating such products calls for cross-functional efforts, be it on the technical side (flavour, texture, nutrition, functionalities, etc.), rethinking the supply chain, ensuring consumer acceptance, or developing sustainable commercial models.

Closing thoughts

A big thanks to Florian for taking the time to share his insights with us and our venture club community. For more Bundl Venture Club insights, be sure to sign up for our next roundtable. 

Hope to see you there!