Driving Sustainable Bread Production in the Baltics

Meet Anni Talts, Production Director for the Baltics at Lantmännen Unibake. Based in Estonia, Anni has been a part of the Unibake family since 2015. With nearly a decade of experience, she plays a key role in ensuring the smooth, sustainable production of fresh bread across Estonia and Lithuania, collaborating closely with plant managers and functional leads to drive innovation and excellence.
As a Production Director, my main responsibility is to secure that the fresh bread production in Estonia and Lithuania is running smoothly, and that it is sustainable and aligned with our strategies. I work closely together with the plant managers and other functional leads to improve and develop our business. Fresh bread is nowadays not only related to local markets. It travels a lot within our Finland-Baltic countries and even further through the freezing channel before it finally reaches our consumers as fresh packed bread.
Ever since school, I have been very active in various activities organizing events, taking the lead and engaging in different projects. I didn’t have a specific position or dream in mind back then, but I wanted to study and definitely saw myself in some kind of leading position from early on.
I studied Materials Science at the University of Tartu in Estonia. Materials Science is an interdisciplinary subject, spanning the physics and chemistry of matter mixed with engineering applications. My choice of education was a bold, strategic decision because I believed that I could use the foundation of mathematics and logic later in business life. I also saw it is a challenge to prove to myself that I can handle complex topics. I remember one of my teachers said that if you can understand the micro world, then you can handle the macro world. I have used that sentence as a motto in life. Looking back, I can see that my strategy worked. I have a flair for understanding complicated stuff – data, figures, numbers – and I like to do analyses. I’m not afraid of detailed technical discussions and know where to look for the root causes of a problem doing fact-based conclusions and decisions. I have managed to make my way in the world in production management – an area where we see very few women. During my studies, I was the only woman attending the course. I would like to help change that by telling my story.
I have worked in Lantmännen Unibake for almost 10 years now. What I really like about the company is the emphasis on personal development through opportunities and cross-functional cooperation. I have moved around between the frozen and the fresh part of the business, I have been promoted to a leading role, I have been a part of big projects like closing a bakery and changing ERP system, there are nice synergies between countries, business units and sites… there is a lot to like here.
I think the company culture and the core values – openness, drive, holistic – makes it easy for me to stick around because I personally navigate by the same principles: Being open to change and others’ views, supporting and caring. Having a personal drive, challenging myself and others, and having fun while doing it. Applying a holistic view on things… That’s me. It’s not something I struggle to live by.
I think of myself as a good leader for different reasons. One of them is that I enjoy the process. It is so simple, but I really think it makes a difference. It is something that is visible in all areas and on all levels no matter what you do. If you go about your business with a positive attitude and a strong will that energy will be passed on to others and inspire them to do the same. Another one is to be solution-oriented. When you keep that in mind, you are always open for ideas, you are not losing yourself in conflicts, you keep
the ownership feeling, and you invite people to look for the best outcome of a process. Finally, I am person with strong opinions, and I deliver clear messages. I look for transparency in data, results, communication and decisions. I think it enables me to build trust and have a good working relationship with my collegeaues.
One of my biggest challenges as a leader is that I’m a quick thinker and therefore sometimes rush to conclusions. It’s a learning process for me to pause for a bit, listen, take my time, and let others have time to process. I also work on not going into detail all the time. I like to do things properly and well, and sometimes that pushes me to take control. But like I said, if you build trust, it is easier to let go and let others do their job and make decisions.
There is a saying that you get recruited based on your CV, and you get fired based on your personal profile. I think there is much truth to that. That’s why I put a lot of effort into choosing my team and to understand the personal profile of a new candidate when they apply for a job. Do they have the right drive, the right ambition, attitude and a personality that matches the rest of the team and of course the capabilities we need.
To work in Lantmännen Unibake is to work in a company that is a part of the solution to many of the global challenges we face. We produce food. We deliver bread with a high quality in all our processes. For centuries, in good times and in bad times, bread has been on the table in millions of homes. It’s part of our common culture. I find it very inspiring to be a part of that story, and I believe that we have an important part to play in the future.