![]() Otherwise the world wouldn’t be facing these challenges. Nobody has ever made such a public commitment, and nobody has ever achieved anything like this. We think it’s directly linked to the bottom line.īut aren’t you putting your core business at risk by pursuing these commitments? It’s hard-wired, and you get what you measure. We think that businesses that are responsible and actually make contributing to society a part of their business model will be successful. Our form of capitalism has brought us far, but it hasn’t solved everything. A child dies of starvation every six seconds. There are clear signs of stress around the world, coming from the “other 99%.” A billion people still go to bed hungry. Is it really business’s role to take on these issues? We want to reduce our overall environmental footprint, to source our agricultural resources sustainably, and to help 1 billion people get access to nutrition and achieve well-being. We look at the entire life cycle-from field consumption to disposal-and we have about 50 measurable goals throughout our supply chain. How far up and down the supply chain are you willing to look? And we said, “Why don’t we develop a business model aimed at contributing to society and the environment instead of taking from them?” Polman:We thought about some of the megatrends in the world, like the shift east in terms of population growth and the growing demand for the world’s resources. HBR:What motivated you to launch such an aggressive long-term plan? In this edited interview with HBR editor in chief Adi Ignatius, Polman discusses the challenges of leading a socially driven mission while protecting his company’s core. But if Unilever falters, he knows, the critics will call for his head. ![]() If he succeeds, he could be a model for other CEOs. And last year he launched an ambitious plan to double revenue by 2020 while halving the company’s environmental impact. He did away with earnings guidance and quarterly reporting, and tells hedge funds they aren’t welcome as investors. Since taking over as CEO of Unilever, in 2009, he has transformed the Anglo-Dutch multinational into one of the world’s most innovative corporations. Paul Polman isn’t afraid to shake things up. In this edited interview with HBR’s editor in chief, Polman talks about taking risks, attracting shareholders who support Unilever’s strategy (hedge fund investors needn’t apply), and why consumers are now in charge. Doing away with quarterly reporting has allowed the business to be more focused on the long term, and changes in the compensation system support that. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan not only sets ambitious targets but establishes detailed measures of progress toward them. Though “a capitalist at heart,” he thinks the system needs fine-tuning-in part through socially responsible investment. Polman believes that his initiatives build on the company’s founding values: improving health and hygiene, and otherwise benefiting society. “Nobody has ever made such a public commitment, and nobody has ever achieved anything like this.” These are truly “audacious objectives,” he acknowledges. In addition to abolishing earnings guidance and quarterly reporting (on day one as CEO), he launched a plan to double corporate revenue by 2020 while simultaneously reducing the company’s environmental impact by half. That doesn’t appear to have inhibited him: Since then he has transformed Unilever into one of the world’s most innovative corporations. When Polman became CEO of the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever, in January 2009, it was his first time in the role of chief executive.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |