Have a vision
I came to nutrition after marketing foods for eight years: I wanted to contribute more. I had a vision of better diets for smallholders working in Unilever’s supply chains, and kept that seed of an idea in focus. At that time, Unilever’s leadership was taking a greater interest in sustainability, so the environment was conducive. You need to find the sweet spot: the alignment between your own purpose, what your organisation stands for, and what is needed in society.
Be a pioneer
It can be daunting to pitch something new to the business. A key to success was identifying a small group of like-minded colleagues, ‘pioneers’ within the business who were on board with the sustainability agenda. Step by step, we have collected evidence and raised awareness around the importance of the right nutrition for workers and their families in our own operations and extended value chains. Our small ecosystem of ‘pioneers’ grew until we reached a tipping point: the idea of resilient value chains and a sustainable business has now become the norm.