INSIDERS with Céline PANIZZI
Regional Director, EMEA & APAC at NÄAK
In recent years, the sports nutrition market has been booming. More races, more runners, longer distances and an increasingly professional practice. Sports nutrition brands are multiplying and growing fast. Among them, there’s one that’s been making waves in Europe for over 3 years now: Näak, official technical partner of the UTMB World Series.
Today, we’re looking at this company founded in Canada in 2016 by Minh Pham and William Walcker with a mission to create the most efficient and environmentally friendly fuel for ultra-endurance athletes. We have the chance to meet Céline, Regional Director EMEA & APAC who joined the adventure two years ago.
INSIDERS with Céline Panizzi, let’s dive into another fascinating interview!
Hi Céline, thanks for having us at the Näak booth here at The International Running Expo. We have a question to start: you worked in major sports, retail and fashion multinationals before joining Näak. How did this shift to a sports nutrition scale-up happen?
I’ve always worked in major multinationals in sports, retail and fashion. I started at Nike, where I worked for six years. I was based in Barcelona because I managed FC Barcelona, but I reported directly to Europe, as I oversaw all digital marketing for the football category.
My first job at Nike was working on licensed product development. Nike and Barça had a global agreement for rights management, and I was based in Barcelona in an incredible environment if you love football. Then, Nike took over Barça’s e-commerce rights, and I started managing all digital marketing for the club, then for the entire football category.
I had the chance to work on major launches like the Mercurial with Ronaldo or the Euro 2016 communication. These were huge experiences.
For personal reasons, I couldn’t move to Amsterdam, so I decided to leave. I went to Camper, where I managed global digital for two or three years, then I joined Massimo Dutti. There, I launched their loyalty program, managed all the marketing part and then the entire e-commerce team, which represented 25% of revenue at the time. I had a team of about a hundred people.
I missed the sports world. When the Camper group launched NNormal, they called me back. I worked two years with them on launching the brand with Kilian. We built the entire team, launched the brand and structured international development. That’s where I met William. We collaborated, exchanged contacts, and I’ve always had a very collaborative spirit in this industry. When I left NNormal, he offered me to join Näak. I first arrived as head of development.
"My first year at Näak was entirely dedicated to opening markets. At that time, the brand was present in three countries: France, Canada and the United States. Today, Näak is present in nearly 40 countries. The idea was really to lay the foundations for global deployment."
You arrived at Näak two years ago. What was your first year like at the company?
My first year at Näak was entirely dedicated to opening markets. At that time, the brand was present in three countries: France, Canada and the United States. Hong Kong was just starting, and they were about to finalize the UK opening. They had also initiated work with an agent in Spain.
I took over all international development. We opened Europe, consolidated Asia, and structured expansion into areas where Näak wasn’t yet established. The idea was really to lay the foundations for global deployment.
We get the impression of seeing you everywhere today. How are you organized in Europe and internationally?
Today, Näak is present in nearly 40 countries: in Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. My role has evolved and I’m now Regional Director for Europe and Asia.
In Europe, we’re 15 people. We have an administrative and operational team based in Annecy, which handles sales, athletes, marketing and operations. The rest of the organization is in Montreal, where Näak’s headquarters is located, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary next year.
I have an equivalent in Canada and another in the United States: each zone has its country manager. I oversee the rest of the world, with a hybrid model: Europe is managed directly, while Asia relies on a distributor network.
How do you manage to reconcile a global brand strategy while adapting products to very different cultures and habits?
These are very different markets, and that’s why Näak operates in a matrix model. We have a global team for product development and a global team for marketing. Then, our roles as regional directors or country managers consist of localizing the approach and bringing the field vision.
There are very concrete differences: in Europe, individual energy drink sachets work very well; in the United States, it’s rather large formats.
Our role is to be the guardians of local adaptation: ensuring that the global strategy remains relevant for our markets, for athletes, points of sale, usage.
The NAAKLAB plays a key role: it’s the internal R&D team. They’re in constant dialogue with the field. The new Boost range was designed because there was an identified need among athletes. Development took over two years, with lots of testing, prototypes, adjustments.
We give a lot of feedback to the lab: tastes, formats, specific needs. For example, in Europe, salty broth works extremely well. Overall, needs are global, but tastes and habits change. Our role is to ensure this proper adaptation.
We're at The International Running Expo in Amsterdam, surrounded by players driven by an ultra-buoyant market. We've heard of annual growth rates of over 50% for several years. What's your view on the sports nutrition market right now?
The running market is extremely competitive, and not only in nutrition. But it’s very positive: the more players there are, the more it pushes quality.
What’s interesting is that for a long time, runners were mostly focused on apparel or footwear. But if you have a nutrition problem, you don’t finish your race, even with the best shoes.
Competition pushes for excellence, professionalization, and especially consumer education. The more brands there are, the more interest there is, and the more it pulls the market upward.
You talked about NAAKLAB as a central element of Näak's success. How does this co-construction with athletes work?
Näak has a very strong positioning on ultra-energy, particularly thanks to the integration of proteins in the energy drink, which is unique and very appreciated by many ultra-runners.
There’s a big trend around carbs, and since 70% of runners do shorter formats, that motivated the creation of the Boost range.
The team really listens to its athletes and the market. The Boost range was born from a need expressed directly by athletes. It was developed with them, in collaboration with runners like Sylvain Cachard or Hannes Namberger. It took over two years to adjust the formula, test digestibility, make prototypes.
NAAKLAB is always looking for innovations. Sometimes it’s new flavors, sometimes product improvements, sometimes new formats. Everything starts from athletes.
During races, including at UTMB, Näak supports athletes with specific nutrition plans according to their profile, their digestion, their current state. Nutrition is so personal that this level of precision is essential.
The athlete x lab dialogue is really the foundation of the Näak model.
The UTMB partnership was a real visibility accelerator for Näak, we saw it again this summer in Chamonix. Can you measure everything it brings you?
The UTMB partnership was a pivotal moment for Näak. It enabled strong acceleration of international development. As a global partner, Näak must be present at all races, which pushed the company to structure resources and teams capable of ensuring operational excellence, including in countries where logistics, customs duties or importation are complex.
The partnership also brought us closer to the field: we participate in all UTMB events to train, listen and exchange with runners. Beyond pro athletes, we support thousands of amateurs, and it’s extremely rewarding to see runners come to thank us because a product helped them finish their race without digestive problems.
It’s a partnership that had a very tangible impact, both on awareness and on direct relationship with users.
We've had the chance to meet several team members at different events (trade shows, OSV Days, races etc.), we feel a real collective energy. How would you describe Näak's internal atmosphere and culture?
The team is small but composed of deeply passionate people. Many are runners, love the mountains or have a real environmental sensitivity. They’re all different, but there’s a very strong cohesion.
The company culture is based on humility, the playful side and collaboration. We’re a tight-knit team, which works a lot on learning by doing. In fact, many people started as interns and stayed. The company really leaves room for personal and professional development.
The management team plays a mentoring role, and William is a very inspiring leader. He laid out a clear and unifying vision; everyone moves in the same direction. This is particularly felt during strong moments like UTMB: despite very intense days on the stands or operations, everyone meets up afterwards, shares fun moments and continues to carry the collective energy.
What unites the team isn’t just sport: it’s a real passion for outdoor, for the environment, and a deep mutual respect. Humility is really at the heart of Näak’s DNA.
"The team is small but composed of deeply passionate people. Many are runners, love the mountains or have a real environmental sensitivity. What unites the team isn't just sport: it's a real passion for outdoor, for the environment, and a deep mutual respect. Humility is really at the heart of Näak's DNA."
You talked about responsiveness and agility. How does your day-to-day operating mode translate?
It’s one of Näak’s big advantages: we have an extremely short organization. Information circulates very quickly, much faster than in large multinationals. When a direction is taken, the boat pivots immediately.
We’re about 40 people today, dispersed between Europe and Canada. This could create friction, but on the contrary, everyone makes an effort to collaborate. We manage the time difference by creating dedicated slots, and we use Slack, email or phone depending on what’s most effective.
The management team is very aligned. We meet every month in management committee. Recently, we spent a full week reworking the three-year plan, and we came out even more aligned on priorities.
This combination, a small team, a lot of autonomy, great trust, allows us to execute very quickly. That’s what makes rapid deployments in new markets possible.
With such growth and rapid deployments, I imagine there are also HR needs. Are you planning to recruit?
Yes, we’re always looking for good profiles, particularly interns. The team will continue to grow, but in a measured way.
The European team currently has about ten people, and the offices opened two years ago. The acceleration of recent months allows us to better organize ourselves and establish real operational excellence.
Recruitment doesn’t only concern Europe: there will also be needs in Canada and the United States, where offices have just opened. For my part, I’m based in Barcelona. The idea remains the same: recruit gradually, strengthen key positions that bring a lot of value, and maintain structured growth.
Thanks for your time Céline and congratulations on Näak's development. We'll continue to follow you with pleasure!
Kenza, Head of Outdoor at BOOST, the purpose-driven HR consulting firm specializing in the sports industry