Sébastien Bornet is director of global marketing at Horphag Research. He is in charge of providing support and expertise to customers worldwide, and developing marketing strategy and new business opportunities. From 2004 to 2009, he served as vice president, global indirect purchasing at UCB Pharma, and prior to that he held several management positions within international food, trading and dietary supplement companies, including the Royal Numico Group. He holds a degree in economics, business and administration.
 
Health E-Insights: Can you comment on the recent Pycnogenol study that supports blood vessel health?
 
Mr. Bornet: Everyone at Horphag Research, plus our customers, media and research partners, were truly excited about the groundbreaking results of the study, which was published in the January 2012 issue of European Heart Journal. The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study was carried out at the Clinic for Cardiology at the University Hospital of Zurich in Switzerland, and was led by Dr. Frank Enseleit. Pycnogenol® French maritime pine bark extract was shown to naturally improve endothelial and circulatory function in patients with coronary artery disease, and who depend on medications.
 
Health E-Insights: How does your company stay ahead of the curve?
 
Mr. Bornet: Over 40 years of research have been dedicated by Horphag Research to establishing Pycnogenol®’s safety, efficacy and quality. With 100 clinical trials on 7,000 men and women, more than 300 scientific publications, and a presence in 80 countries with 700 Pycnogenol® -containing finished products worldwide, our company has demonstrated its ability to deliver gold standard natural health ingredients to the dietary, food & beverages and cosmetic industries. I guess it is in our DNA to constantly challenge the status quo, as we are currently building an exciting pipeline of innovative science-based products for our clients. 
 
Health E-Insights: What are the top two metrics to which your company pays the closest attention?
 
Mr. Bornet: Without any doubt, safety and efficacy. Nowadays, consumers are well educated about health related issues. They seek out more information about natural supplements prior to buying them, have a closer look at product labels and want to make sure those products contain science-based, safe and efficacious ingredients. You cannot compromise on safety, and consumers want a product that works. To Horphag Research, safety and efficacy translate into a gold standard reputation and double-digit growth, which you can consider our top two metrics.
 
Health E-Insights: What has been your company’s most effective marketing tactic or technique?
 
Mr. Bornet: It takes years to build a solid brand, but in our industry, it cannot last without a constant focus on research and innovation. Consumer markets are more segmented than ever. Therefore, we work together with our clients in order to deliver specific and targeted educational information about Pycnogenol® to various categories of people, and to address their different needs for natural health solutions. In the recent years, we have included a “digital dimension” into our marketing strategies. In addition to engaging with our audience through social media such as Facebook or Twitter, we are working on some new, exciting and innovative ways to convey our message. To ensure a truly global reach to our customers, we have totally revamped our website this year. Our new internet communication platform now features multiple languages, including Chinese, Japanese, French and German, with both Spanish and Italian on the way.
 
Health E-Insights: Is there one message to the industry that you would want out there?
 
Mr. Bornet: There is no shortcut to building a solid reputation in our industry. Since I joined Horphag Research in 2009, I have truly enjoyed working together with a team of professionals committed to pursue the visionary concept of healthy aging initiated in the 1960’s by our founder Charles Haimoff. Today, the CEO of Horphag Research, Victor Ferrari, is a strong advocate of consumers, trusting that they will make well-informed decisions when choosing natural and safe ingredients. Our industry faces a number of regulatory challenges, and only genuine efforts to help people live a healthy living will allow our industry to keep growing.
 
Health E-Insights: Is there a golden rule by which you live?
 
Mr. Bornet: Stick to your gut feeling. It never lies.
 
Sheldon Baker is well known for creating nutraceutical brand marketing and public relations campaigns. For Health E-Insights interview consideration, contact him at [email protected]. And follow him on Twitter@NutraInk.