Managing Director, Unilever Foodsolutions Indonesia
My role is to inspire and motivate my team of 150 chefs, sales, marketing and shared services people to become the best foods solution provider in Indonesia. Our objective is to triple the business as fast as we can.
I first worked for Unilever Indonesia in 1996 as part of a four-month international internship programme. This is when I became fascinated by Unilever's presence in people's lives around the world. In almost every house you can find Unilever products, which means we can have so much impact on lives every day. In countries such as Indonesia, Unilever acts as a vehicle to help improve standards of living, for example, saving lives through its hand-washing campaign.
I also worked for Unilever in China, first helping build a sales organisation in Foods, then developing the Lipton out-of-home (OOH) business. This was particularly rewarding as people did not think it would be possible to successfully penetrate a traditional tea market such as China with a Western brand like Lipton.
This experience, together with my true epicurean gene and passion for Asia and its people, have helped me a lot in my current role.
The advice I'd give to someone considering a career in my line of work is to have an open mind and an open heart. The sales role in a business-to-business environment is of key importance. This means managing large troops of people who want and need your attention. To do my job you must truly love meeting customers and local food and not be afraid of wet markets or dirty kitchens, because these are the places where you add value and get great ideas.
You also need to be aware that work and private life are intertwined and as a Managing Director your duty is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But for me, exploring restaurants, local eateries and working with the Indonesian smiles around me is like full-time travelling.
