26 February 2026
News
Some anniversaries celebrate the past. Others remind us why we keep moving forward. At Owl’s Head, the mountain is celebrating 60 years of history, and the Alpine Challenge is holding its 5th edition: five collective leaps towards a healthier future for children.
And for the second consecutive year, Cascades has chosen to be at the summit, as presenting partner, but above all as a committed participant in a movement that goes beyond the event itself. A clear affirmation that corporate leadership can accelerate research and change the course of lives.
Exclusive interview with Hugues Simon, Cascades‘ president and chief executive officer.
As a leader in the manufacture of innovative and sustainable packaging and hygiene products, Cascades shares our values of collaboration, excellence and community engagement. Cascades’ support for the Paediatric Research Foundation is based on a clear conviction that children’s health is a matter for society as a whole.
For Hugues Simon, this conviction is also personal:
“As a parent, the Foundation’s mission has a deeply personal meaning for me. Every child deserves to look to the future with hope and ambition. Every child has the right to grow up having fun, thriving and marvelling at the world around them, without illness standing in the way of their life, and that is what the Foundation is dedicated to.”
This commitment exemplifies responsible leadership, where every action taken by the company generates a real impact. Supporting paediatric research allows resources, time and energy to be transformed into tangible results: projects that improve children’s health and give each initiative a measurable return for the community.
“At Cascades, (…) we believe that a healthy community is, above all, healthy children who will one day be able to contribute to it. The Alpine Challenge was and still is an opportunity to raise awareness about research issues and to mobilise not only Cascades employees, but also society as a whole on the issue of research.”
Although the Alpine Challenge can be completed solo, each participant puts their energy towards a collective goal. This year, the funds raised will support an innovative project: the therapeutic use of climbing for school-aged children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). This condition affects approximately 5% of children and complicates motor coordination, social participation and regular physical activity.
Transforming the energy of an alpine hike into tangible benefits for these young people echoes Cascades’ mission. For Hugues Simon, the link between his leadership and social responsibility is clear:
“For over 60 years, Cascades has made the well-being of its employees a priority, because a company is first and foremost about people. For a company to be viable, it must be made up of people who are healthy, not only physically but also psychologically. That is why we want to make a significant and personal contribution to an initiative that aims to make communities healthier.”
What starts as a sporting challenge and team-building activity quickly becomes a concrete lever for motivation and performance. “By promoting sport and physical activity, we help reduce our employees’ stress levels, improve their concentration and increase their energy. At Cascades, we believe that active employees are more engaged and happier employees.”
The climb to the summit illustrates this philosophy: shared effort becomes a driving force for cohesion, a catalyst for commitment and a living example of leadership applied to corporate culture.
The 2025 edition of the Owl’s Head Alpine Challenge truly put the teams to the test: rain, ice, fog and snow added an extra layer of difficulty. But far from discouraging them, this experience strengthened the participants’ motivation and solidarity. Hugues Simon recalls that “we all worked harder, and we had even more fun! ”
Some members of the Cascades team were participating in their first alpine hike. They experienced a unique moment of achievement, collaboration and shared pride, strengthening their sense of belonging to their company while amplifying their collective impact on paediatric research.
Building on this experience, Cascades will return in 2026 with the goal of doubling its impact: “Now that we know the trail better, we will be able to improve our time. In addition, participants will also be raising funds for the event. We hope to be able to give even more back to the Foundation.”
At the Alpine Challenge, every step counts: for your teams, for children and for research. Participants push themselves, strengthen their cohesion and see the concrete impact of their commitment on the lives of young people in need of support.
Hugues Simon sums it up with conviction: “Every company, and especially an organisation of Cascades’ stature, has a social and moral responsibility to the communities where it operates, because it brings together employees who live in those communities. (…) We must take care of others if we want to ensure the development of our company.” Participating in the Alpine Challenge means putting leadership into action, mobilising teams and transforming their motivation into real impact for children.
Take up the challenge: lead your teams to new heights, multiply the impact on pediatric research, and contribute to a future where every child can grow up healthy and reach their full potential.
