ADDING VITALITY TO LIFE

By Howard Belton, President, Unilever Philippines Inc.

That's Unilever's global mission - "to help people look good, feel good and get more out of life". Sounds good - but can a business put this into practice? In the Philippines we do this in three ways - vitality for consumers through excellent products, vitality at work as an excellent employer and business partner, and vitality in the community as an excellent citizen.

Vitality for consumers

This starts from our products - ranging from Ponds and Sunsilk to Surf and Domex, to Knorr and Selecta. To succeed we have to bring beauty, hygiene and nutrition to the daily lives of millions, rich and poor, and we are very proud that more than 90% of Filipino homes have our products in them. A good example this year has been Selecta 3 in 1 - an affordable ice cream which gave many more families the chance to celebrate a birthday more enjoyably and became a big hit.

Our ads certainly enter every home - several times a day. I'm happy to say they also contribute to vitality - because consumers enjoy them. There are many examples we can be proud of. Like Surf which puts value on the efforts of ordinary people to earn an honest living and raise their children well. Like Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty" which challenges beauty stereotypes by saying you don't have to be young, thin, white, or busty to be beautiful. On a lighter note, Closeup Lovapalooza and Rexona First Day Funk captured the hearts of millions of teenagers.

Vitality at work

Visit our place and you will find that every employee knows we are in global competition for jobs. In manufacturing, in services, in management.

In this battle it takes vitality to win.

It's all about productivity. We believe that high productivity does not come from management alone - it comes from energised employees. We need all the talents of our employees - as we say not just their hands but their brains and their hearts. That liberates a whole new level of productivity. That's why our manufacturing teams manage their own work, without the need for managers or supervisors looking over their shoulders. That's why we have achieved the coveted Japanese TPM level 2 award.

Not just inside our company. We rely on many partnerships with world-class Filipino entrepreneurs. They help us make world class products - like the deodorants we now export to 25+ countries including the USA. They distribute our products in cities and countryside and many are family businesses.

Vitality starts at the top. I enjoy my job and I try to spread that enjoyment to those around me. We work under pressure and it's my job to create space for enjoyment and imagination. For me it's not a luxury - it's a necessity - management needs to set an example in increasing its own productivity!

Vitality in the Community

For 79 years Unilever has had a healthy business in the Philippines, and we want to continue for another 79. We know that for our business to be healthy Philippines society has to be healthy. This is too important to leave to others - we have to play our part. It's not about donations - we need to use our management and technical skills to support the community.

A good example is on the environment. Our Paco home, with its offices and factories, is on the edge of the Pasig River, and for many years we have been working with local communities and the Sagip Pasig movement to create a "Clean River Zone". This means uniting government, business, Rotary, schools and communities to manage waste instead of dumping it in the river. Of course we have to set a good example in our own operations. Our waste water treatment plant makes sure that all that goes from our place into the river is clean water. It is a joy to see how our neighbours have joined the environmental effort - for example the stall holders of Paco market have set a wonderful example of cleanness and waste management.

Another project dear to the heart of our employees is our Pasiglahin ang Batang Pinoy feeding programme, where together with Kabisig ang Kalahi we mount 6 month programmes to bring underweight children up to normal weight. The many employees who join the programme really get a kick from seeing the kids improve at each monthly weighing.

We have been helping the community in Baseco since the dreadful fire there in 2004, and recently together with the City of Manila and Gawad Kalinga we inaugurated our Vitality Village, which will go beyond houses and have community facilities and space for livelihood. Half the funding has come from current and retired employees. Being with our friends in Baseco as they work so hard to improve their lives adds to our vitality as well as theirs.

I am proud to say that Unilever Philippines is one of the best companies in the 100+ Unilever countries. Thanks to our employees. The skills are valuable. The hard work is important. But it's the vitality which makes the difference.