Interim management in Nantes: a solution for the food industry

At Leaderia Transition, the first interim management company to specialize in the agri-food sector, we decided to open a branch in Nantes, close to our customers and at the heart of one of France’s most dynamic agri-food ecosystems.
This Nantes branch has considerably strengthened our local presence, as well as our links with local agri-food SMEs and clusters such as Valorial, Food for Tomorrow and Cap Aliment.

Faced with the challenges of performance and flexibility, more and more companies are turning to us to find the right interim manager to meet their current needs.
After managing a large number of assignments in the North-West region, we can explain how interim management represents a potential growth lever for your company, whatever your sector of activity – meat, seafood, organic/vegetable – and your position in the processing chain: raw materials, ingredients, food innovation, distribution, catering…

The rise of the food industry in Nantes

The agri-food sector plays a central role in Nantes’ economy. In 2024, according to Nantes Métropole figures, the Nantes agri-food industry represented:
– 420 companies (+15% on 2022)
– 4,000 direct jobs
– 2.5 billion euros in sales
– 35% of companies growing
The Loire-Atlantique department is also France’s leading market-gardening department.

Nantes-Saint-Nazaire is recognized as a major food and nutrition research hub, with the presence of the French National Institute for Research in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (INRAE), the Nantes-Atlantique National Veterinary, Food and Agriculture School (ONIRIS), the CRNH (Centre de Recherche en Nutrition Humaine), the Biogenouest Scientific Interest Group (Groupement d’Intérêt Scientifique), which coordinates the network of life and environmental sciences platforms in the Grand Ouest region, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea (IFREMER), the French National Institute for Health and Medical Research (INSERM), and the CNRS.

In this ecosystem of cutting-edge research, local companies are constantly challenged:
– product innovation to respond to changing consumer habits
– optimization of production processes to strengthen their competitiveness,
– rising raw material costs which are increasingly squeezing margins,
– compliance with new standards and regulations.
In a context of shortage of high-potential candidates, interim management offers an operational response.

Why choose an interim manager for your agro-industrial site?

Interim management enables you to respond rapidly to a specific challenge by integrating specialized skills to deal with complex situations or transformation projects.
– Temporary replacement: make up for the unforeseen absence of a key executive while ensuring operational continuity
– Steering transformation: industrial (automation and optimization of agri-food processes) and digital (accelerating the adoption of NICTs such as AI, organizational).
– Crisis management: stabilize a critical situation and implement a recovery plan
– Restructuring: bring an experienced eye to bear on a reorganization project.

The benefits of interim management

– Rapid intervention: we find your interim manager within 48 hours (compared with several months for a traditional recruitment process).
– Targeted expertise: the interim managers in our pool all have extensive agri-agricultural backgrounds.
– Flexibility: the duration of the assignment can be adjusted exactly to your needs, no more, no less.
– Controlled costs: a solution that is often more economical than recruitment.
We give preference to agri-food executives and engineers from your region because they know the local ecosystems, because they integrate more quickly, and because this proximity reduces the logistical costs of travel and accommodation.

Leaderia remains on standby to ensure the smooth running of the mission throughout the entire operation.

Leaderia Transition, your interim management company in Nantes

Located at 12 avenue Carnot in Nantes, our experts offer you a tailor-made approach based on three Leaderia commitments:

– Cutting-edge expertise that enables us to fully understand your agri-agro challenges.
– Ultra-reactivity based on a pool of manager profiles tailored to your needs.
– An optimized financial approach, adapted to your budget and your challenges.
Interim management is becoming a growth gas pedal for Nantes’ agri-food companies, because it is based on high-level skills and rapid intervention.
Contact us if you want to overcome a current difficulty or undertake a specific transformation.

Sources of inspiration :

https://api-infonantes.nantesmetropole.fr/sites/portailentreprise/home/votre-territoire/secteurs-dactivite/agroalimentaire.html
https://invest.nantes-saintnazaire.fr/en/sectors/agri-food-industries
https://www.bureaudescongres-nantes.fr/en/an-outstanding-destination/sectors-of-excellence
https://www.pole-valorial.fr/innoviaa/decouvrez-le-3e-barometre-de-linnovation-entreprises-agricoles-agroalimentaires-linnovation-sinvite-a-la-table-de-la-rse/

Rôle et plus-value d’un cabinet de management de transition