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Unilever to shift thinking to New Delhi, says CEO
MUMBAI: FMCG behemoth Unilever is shifting its organisational focus to emerging markets to better anticipate the needs of a growing but “ever more demanding” class of consumers, said CEO Paul Polman at the Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.
Polman charted the company‘s strategic move to the Far East and the Bric countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China) to benefit from their mushrooming populations.
“We have to shift our thinking to New Delhi, not New York”, Polman affirmed.
Unilever‘s brands are traded in 180 countries and 56 per cent of its revenues come from non-European countries. The company expects this to rise to 70-75 per cent by 2020.
Polman underlined that Bric countries will be home to the world‘s [fastest growing] populations and their consumers will get increasingly more demanding.
Polman amplified the “superconnectivity” of the internet that provides companies like Unilever with huge commercial opportunity to reach the next one billion consumers. He also highlighted the importance of Facebook.
Polman was talking after Unilever announced a major restructure broadening its category organisation to four divisions and the promotion of Harish Manwani to chief operating officer.
On Friday, the company announced that president for Asia, Africa, Central and Eastern Europe, Harish Manwani will don the role of COO from 1 September.
Also, the FMCG is moving from the current HPC (Home and Personal Care) and Foods categorisation to create four new categories reporting to the global CEO.
These would be Personal Care (to be headed by Dave Lewis, currently president,Americas), Refreshment – Ice Cream and Beverages (Ice Cream EVP Kevin Havelock), Food (Skin EVP Antoine de Saint Affrique), and Home Care (Laundry EVP Randy Quinn and Household Care senior VP Sean Gogarty).
The new structure will be put in place in the quarter of July to September, and can get fully operational before December 2011.
MAM
BLS International launches #VisaReady campaign to guide applicants
Initiative targets visa myths, delays and rejections with practical guidance
MUMBAI: Visa woes may soon meet their match because paperwork, it seems, is finally getting a user manual. BLS International has rolled out a new awareness drive, #VisaReadyWithBLSInternational, aimed at simplifying the often confusing visa application process and reducing delays caused by misinformation and incomplete documentation. The campaign, led across social media platforms, zeroes in on a long-standing pain point for travellers: lack of clarity around procedures, timelines and requirements. By offering step-by-step guidance, documentation checklists and clear Dos and Don’ts, the initiative attempts to turn what is typically a stressful process into a more predictable one.
At its core, the campaign also seeks to bust common myths that frequently derail applications issues that often lead to avoidable rejections or last-minute complications. The idea is to equip applicants with practical, actionable insights so they can plan better and submit stronger applications within expected timelines.
The push will not remain limited to digital channels. BLS International plans to extend the initiative across its Visa Application Centres globally, reinforcing awareness at key touchpoints where applicants engage with the process.
BLS International joint managing director Shikhar Aggarwal framed the campaign as more than a communication exercise, emphasising the company’s attempt to embed guidance and preparedness into every stage of the applicant journey.
Operating in over 70 countries and working with more than 46 client governments including embassies, consulates and diplomatic missions, the company has built a sizeable footprint in visa and consular services. With this campaign, it is now leaning into education as much as execution, signalling that in the world of visas, clarity might just be the new currency.
