You can probably name the roles your business would struggle to fill tomorrow. It is harder to say who could step in, how ready they are and what happens next. That gap is where FMCG succession planning either becomes useful or stays a list of names.
This piece draws on Succession Planning in Practice, a CTF session from March 2025 with Gemma Owen, Talent Manager at Danone.
Start with a clear definition of key positions
A key position is a role whose absence would materially affect delivery, or whose skills are hard to replace. That sounds simple. In practice, it is easy to let the list follow seniority.
So agree why each role is on the list, and write the reasons down. Seniority alone does not make a role critical. A specialist role with scarce skills can matter more to delivery than a senior role with plenty of strong people around it.
A clear, agreed list also tells you where development effort will matter most. That is how succession planning connects the people you grow with the roles you will need.
Turn names into development conversations
A list of possible replacements helps nobody on its own. It becomes useful when it creates actions for both the business and the colleague.
So a good plan links three things. First, the roles and skills the strategy needs. Second, where colleagues want to grow, including sideways moves as well as promotion. Third, the experiences, learning or moves that would help them grow into those roles.
One point came through clearly in the session. Being named as a possible successor is a planning judgement. It is not a promise of the next job. So managers should talk about the role and the person's goals together, without promising an appointment.
Widen the field and test your assumptions
The session also looked at how narrow these decisions can get when managers only rate people who have done the exact same job. So ask which skills transfer between functions or categories. A different career history may still bring what the role needs.
It also helps to ask what evidence sits behind each judgement. Has the person shown the skill in a comparable situation? Would another leader who knows their work reach the same view? These questions make it harder for familiarity to stand in for ability.
Then choose whether to build, buy or borrow the skill. You can develop someone inside, recruit from outside or bring the skill in for a period. Start with the gap and the timing, not with the most familiar option.
Make FMCG succession planning part of the leadership agenda
A plan only works if someone challenges it and then follows it through. HR and talent teams can support the process, but functional leaders should own the development actions and make the final calls.
So give every action a named owner and a date. Keep the plan in front of the leadership team, rather than leaving it in a file until next year. And revisit it when the business changes, for example after a restructure, a shift in strategy or a resignation in a key team.
If you already run workforce planning, use the same conversations to shape both. That way, the roles you plan for and the people you develop stay in step.
A few questions to take to your next talent review:
- Can you explain why each role on your key positions list is there?
- Does each named successor have a development action, not only a place on a chart?
- Who owns each action, and when will you next look at it?
- Where could you widen the options without losing an essential skill?
The CIPD factsheet on succession planning is useful further reading if you are reviewing your own approach.
The full session
Members can watch the full recording of the session and download the slides in the CTF Session Library. The member ebook goes further, with two practical worksheets to map your key positions and prioritise your succession gaps. If you want to compare notes with peers who are working on the same questions, apply to join or see what membership includes.
