Cat Barnes – My Journey in Paediatric Allergy at Nutricia

Cat Barnes is the Paediatric Allergy Senior Brand Manager at Nutricia, and her role entails creating and implementing strategy for a variety of Nutricia products in her portfolio. She describes how her job involves building links with and supporting healthcare professionals, and how her professional experience became a valuable asset in her family life.

After completing my degree in Business Management, I joined Johnson & Johnson’s marketing graduate scheme. I worked across their medical device and diagnostics division, gaining experience in various areas of the business and travelling all over the UK. After a few years, I made a big career change and moved into international recruitment. It was a fantastic experience, but when I returned to the UK, I really wanted to get back to work that felt more meaningful to me.

That’s when I found Nutricia.

I was drawn to the meaningful, patient-focused nature of the work. Both of my parents worked in the NHS for their entire careers, so the strong links with the NHS appealed to me, as did the incredible quality of the products. During the recruitment process, I met so many lovely, passionate people, and that really sealed the deal for me. What fascinated me most was that Danone has both a consumer-facing side, with brands people see in their weekly shop, and a specialist healthcare side that’s less visible — including our brilliant nursing teams. The work we do here is amazing, and there’s a real sense that everyone is valued, supported, and encouraged to play a vital role.

As the Senior Brand Manager for Allergy within the healthcare marketing team, I’m responsible for building and delivering the strategy for our allergy product portfolio. That includes the Aptamil Pepti range for mild to moderate cow’s milk allergy and the Neocate range for more severe cases. A big part of my role is creating multi-channel marketing plans to meet our goals — but ultimately, it's about ensuring our work truly supports healthcare professionals and families.

What I love most about the job is the variety. I work with so many different people — from internal and external dietitians to researchers, legal colleagues, global teams, and creative agencies. Every project brings together a mix of expertise, and that collaboration is where real innovation happens. One moment, I might be in a clinical discussion about product development, and the next, I’m reviewing creative concepts to bring that message to life in a way that resonates with our audience.

The most rewarding part, though, is hearing directly from healthcare professionals about the impact our products have. I remember talking to a paediatrician at a small event — he told me about a young baby who had been in and out of intensive care. After trying several formulas without success, the baby was finally started on Neocate, and everything changed. The symptoms resolved, he started gaining weight, and the family could finally take their baby home. Stories like that stay with you. They’re why we do what we do.

Nutricia also hosts a number of events for healthcare professionals, and I’m closely involved with our Nutricia-owned ones. Twice a year, we run large paediatric events, each attended by 100 to 200 dietitians. They’ve become real highlights in the calendar — people often ask about the dates in advance so they can plan their annual leave around them. These events are more than just learning sessions — they’re a chance for nutrition-focused professionals to connect, which is rare given how busy they are in their day-to-day roles.

We always make sure the events are practical and engaging. One of the highlights is when our chef, Derek, joins us to demonstrate recipes using our products. He might show how to use an unflavoured Fortini feed in something as simple as overnight oats — and it’s those everyday, accessible ideas that can really help offer something extra to support families of patients.

My connection to paediatric allergy became personal when I had my second child, Flora. As soon as I introduced formula, she had a strong reaction — reflux, constant wind, and a frightening rash all over her face and body. Eventually, her stools became mucusy and contained blood. It was incredibly worrying. I hadn’t experienced anything like this with my eldest. She had colic and reflux, and I used a Nutricia product called Carobel alongside breastfeeding — but with Flora, it was clearly something different.

Because of my work at Nutricia, I’d absorbed so much information about cow’s milk allergy (CMA). That helped me process what was happening and take the right steps quickly. We switched her to a Neocate feed, and her symptoms resolved. That gave us space to just be — to bond and enjoy those precious early months, instead of being stuck in a cycle of worry and uncertainty. I was lucky. Some parents can take months to get a diagnosis, and it can have such a huge impact on their experience in those early days with their baby.

Of course, the ideal is that no child would ever need specialist feeds. But the reality is, CMA is still under-recognised, and the journey to diagnosis can be long and distressing. That’s why I’m so proud to be part of work that raises awareness, provides education, and ultimately makes life easier for families.

Even before I worked in allergy, I had similar experiences while managing the pre-term portfolio. There was one product in particular that serves a very small number of extremely vulnerable infants. Despite the tiny volumes, Nutricia goes above and beyond to make sure they get what they need. That level of care really struck a chord with me. It’s a reminder that Nutricia isn’t just about business — it’s a purpose-led organisation that truly cares.

Every day, I feel proud to be part of it.