At the helm of her family’s dessert empire, Xanny Christophersen leads a large-scale operation that transforms traditional baking into sophisticated manufacturing.

“I make desserts. When I say what I do I’d put it down into layman’s terms and say I make cake for a living on scale – in a week 270,000 units of dessert. We would go through nine tonnes of egg in a week,” explains Xanny.

Xanny’s path to leadership was paved with early hands-on experiences that provided a foundation for understanding the business from the ground up.

“My parents owned the business. My aunt started delivering cakes at the back of the station wagon and I used to do that with her,” said Xanny. “On my school holidays we’d learn the value of money and doing a job. I was also really curious, so I used to escape from what they used to call ‘the kitchen’ and learn how to do the sales orders.”

That curiosity and early exposure led to part-time factory work during university before her career took several unexpected turns, including finance work in the UK. Her return to the family business came through an opportunity to solve a specific challenge.

“My dad asked me to come back to solve a problem, and I solved the problem in two-weeks,” said Xanny. This successful intervention launched a meteoric rise.

For Xanny, food manufacturing represents a sophisticated blend of systems thinking, scientific understanding, and artistry—especially when creating consistent, high-quality baked goods at scale.

“Manufacturing has a brand problem — people don’t understand it. It’s a set of systems and processes to make a product. Baking takes it to another level. It is an absolute science to get it right in a way that means that you get beautiful product quality out every single time,” said Xanny.

As a female CEO in a male-dominated industry, she has developed specific strategies to ensure her effectiveness in leadership roles.

“You need to be very comfortable in your own skin and you need to have a presence to be able to own a room. You need to be able to back yourself to speak up, have your say and not just blend in.”

When asked about balancing executive responsibilities with family life, Xanny is refreshingly candid about the realities. “It’s impossible. Everyone wants this really sexy answer. There is no formula, there is just survival and getting through it. It’s about teamwork at home. My husband does all the cooking, all the cleaning. He does the daycare pick up and drop off.”

She points to broader societal expectations that create this challenge: “They want you to work like you don’t have any children, but they want you to parent like you don’t work.”

For those considering careers in manufacturing, Xanny advocates for practical experience over formal education: “Getting out and about to actually see what manufacturing’s about is really important. I think university degrees are less and less important and it’s more about practical hands-on skills and knowledge to work your way up inside businesses.”

Her most direct counsel is straightforward and empowering: “Back yourself. There’s no boy tasks, there’s no girl tasks, there’s just tasks. Have a crack. Just go for it. You’re the sum of the five people that you hang out with most. Choose wisely who those five people are. Make sure you get someone that treats you like an equal.”

Through her leadership at her family’s dessert company, Xanny demonstrates how modern food manufacturing can balance large-scale production with artisanal quality, while breaking down gender barriers and reimagining what manufacturing environments and careers can look like in the 21st century.