Vice President/General Manager, US Deodorants and Haircare
I stepped into my role in 2006 after working as Marketing Director for US Deodorants.
Basically, I'm responsible for all the operational activity, business delivery and marketing connected with Unilever's deodorant and haircare brands in the US – including Axe, Dove, Suave, Degree and Sunsilk.
For me, the biggest challenge is the competitive environment we work in. It's very fluid and changes all the time. It makes driving our brands to market-share leadership a demanding but very rewarding task.
Another satisfying aspect of my role is creating a workplace that people want to get up and come to every day. I spend about 40% of my day interacting with the people on our teams, keeping them energised and focused, and removing obstacles for them.
Having fun and helping each other out is a big part of it. When someone on my team comes to me and says "I could use your help with this or that" – that's when I really get going. And when I deliver and hear "thank you" I know I've done my job.
Over time I've developed a personal leadership style that works really well for me. It's focused on four key things: creating a vision for where we're going, defining the success we want, removing the obstacles that get in the way of that success – and finally celebrating and thanking everyone for their hard work. I find being approachable and using humour a big help at every stage.
What do I enjoy most about working for Unilever? The people I work with. Plain and simple. If you don't enjoy that, all the deodorant and shampoo sold in the world won't help.
