8 | | DECEMBER 2025It's no news to anyone that innovation has become a powerful force that drives many companies to be more resilient and ready to stand out in an increasingly competitive world. As they know the strategic value of innovation, they are increasingly focusing on this aspect, such as developing new services, investing in more technology for their processes, or even thinking about actions that can generate a differential for their clients and consumers. According to a study by the McKinsey consultancy, businesses that consistently invest in innovation are more likely to achieve sustainable growth and have a revenue growth rate up to 2.6 times higher compared to others.One of the factors that encourage this search for innovation is consumer power. With the world in constant transformation and changes taking place at an accelerated pace, consumers now have unlimited access to information and are demanding customized experiences. These expectations are seen in all aspects, including in the workplace. In this context, the challenge is being prepared to meet new demands with solutions that transform customer experience and result in business growth. It is essential to be aware of the journeys of everyone who interacts with our brands, seeking to leverage this experience through innovation.It is important, however, to stress that when we talk about innovation, we are talking about changes based on new ideas and new ways of operating, and not only on disruptive solutions and state-of-the-art technology. At Sodexo, we face the challenge of constantly adapting to our customers' reality, immersed in different cultures and regions. Incremental innovations are equally important, especially for more complex operations, such as Sodexo's, where the diversity of cultures and activity areas demand that we adapt to different realities and aspirations. In this sense, people are the ones who shape and drive transformation since they are our interlocutors with the clients and experience the challenges closely, actively listening to understand the specificities of the client's business and what innovations will contribute positively to the consumer experience. When we consider all these aspects, we remain relevant and differentiate ourselves in such a competitive market.This is an intrinsic concept at Sodexo. We are committed to fostering innovation in our teams, allowing them to think outside the box and propose ideas that can be catalyzed and turned into solutions that add value for customers. Internal programs, such as the Innovation Challenge, aim to encourage employees from across the organization worldwide to share ideas so that we can test and implement suggestions, which range from using technologies to small innovations that directly impact our customer's real needs.We encourage our teams on a daily basis to perform activities with an `entrepreneurial vision,' seeking to achieve increasingly better results with a committed and responsible performance. We recognize the importance of taking some risks ­ as long as they are calculated and occur in controlled environments ­ so that we can learn and generate quantitative IN MY OPINIONBy Cléber Alexandre Agazzi, Head of Infrastructure & IT Operations, SicrediTHE ROLE OF PEOPLE IN CORPORATE INNOVATION CULTURECléber Alexandre Agazzi
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