Interview with Silvia Wiesner – Former Managing Director of Unilever

Silvia Wiesner is a fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) expert with specialization in the food and beverage industry. Born in Austria, she is currently living in Germany and is the lucky mother of a three-year-old. Silvia began working as a management trainee at Unilever in 2005, experiencing firsthand what it means to be part of a purpose-led business. In the next 17 years, she explored different marketing and sales management roles in Vienna and in Hamburg before becoming a key account director. Later, she became general manager of Unilever’s foods business in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and then managing director for Belgium and Luxembourg, before now being ready for the next phase of her career (stay tuned!). Silvia is part of the World Economic Forum as a young global leader, is on the Executive Committee of European Women on Boards, an organization that drives gender equality on the highest decision-making levels, and serves as Chair of the Global Membership Committee of IMAGINE, supporting to create the transformational leaders the world needs now. 

How would you define “innovation,“ particularly within the consumer goods industry?

As cliché as it may sound, innovation is undoubtedly the bread and butter. It’s both the essence of being andthe reason for being. As Peter Drucker once said, every business must “innovate or die.” I consider innovation at its highest level to be the development of something new that creates value for your business. If it does not create value, it will fail. Moreover, I very much believe that innovation comes in lots of different shapes and forms. It’s about uncovering potential market or consumer shifts and catering to the full spectrum of needs. A business will likely miss out on massive potential value if disrupted by another company, new methods, or new technologies. One approach is developing a radical innovation, which is flashy and grabs headlines. Another approach is developing incremental innovation. If there is no incremental innovation, you will fall behind. I think both customer experience and retention will suffer if there are no add-ons and gradual improvements of yourservices and/or products. As a consumer goods company, if you really want to stay ahead of the game and remain relevant to your audience, you need to cater to the full spectrum. You need to adress the whole funnel and be willing to make your existing business model obsolete. I think this is what then ensures that you are best positioned to stay competitive rather than trying to catch up or defend your position.

Can you identify trends that help businesses achieve sustainable growth? 

Rather than trends, I would say that there are three overarching truths that will never go out of fashion.

First, we need to constantly innovate for both people and for the planet. It is crucial that Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) efforts are a core part of your business. I believe that for a brand to grow, it needs to be built on advanced science and deliver functionally superior products. 

Second, I’m a huge believer in the power of purpose. What exactly do I want my brand to show up as? What do I want my brand to be an advocate for? These are marketing choices that need to be taken into consideration. If we look at some of the global numbers, we know that 74% of consumers globally expect brands to take a stand on topics from sustainability to social inequality.

Keep in mind however, that product and innovation cannot be left aside. Hanneke Farber, president of the nutrition business group at Unilever, once told me that purpose is the icing on the cake, not the cake itself. Success depends on choosing the right icing for your cake. Brands need to find their purpose by staying true to their product and the category of benefits. If that comes together, you can create a beautiful, virtuous circle of nurturing your own brand by bringing value to your consumers, to the planet, and to society. 

Last, and maybe maybe most important, I would say that it’s about team members in all functions of your business embracing all of this. It’s not something you can just do on your own. It’s essential to try and create relevance instead of just managing the legacy business. For me, it starts by people getting on the front line. It’s about getting real as a marketeer. It’s about discovering different people. It’s about really going beyond the stereotypes and understand people’s identity and their lived experiences. That’s why at Unilever, every marketer is asked to spend at least 100 hours a year with consumers rather than solely relying on PowerPoint summaries of them.

How does Unilever leverage technology such as digital tools and artificial intelligence?

I think that any corporation that wants to remain successful and relevant in the future needs to tackle the full spectrum of technological advancement. For instance, taking advantage of software tools such as automating tedious tasks to increase the accuracy of results. At Unilever, my employer for 17 years, we used such technology to run virtual tests and scenarios to optimize products before starting production, which allows to cut time to market. And you need to try to keep up with emerging technologies by working together with startups and scouting platforms. Moreover, I would also say that digitalization is a key enabler. We are seeing the end of the offline word where channels and technologies are blurring. This convergence needs to be reflected by companies internally as well. I think digital commerce is the best example of this. It’s not a sales channel but a digital ecosystem. Last, digital tools provide a great opportunity and responsibility for us to shape the future. Personally, I see a lot of potential in the Metaverse. It is still very much confusing, frightening, interesting to consumers, creators, and companies alike. It is now the responsibility of companies to make the Metaverse inclusive and to cater to other governance topics. That is the responsibility of this generation, so we need to think about potential unintended consequences and address them now. 

What differentiates Unilever from its competitors?

There is vast innovation power at Unilever. In 2020 alone, Unilever invested €800 million into R&D and the company has over 20,000 patents which are protecting the breakthroughs of more than 5,000 leading specialists all around the world. At the same time, Unilever is proud to say that 70% of innovations are enabled through a global network of innovation partners. When I first joined Unilever, new product development was only done internally. Over the years however, there has been a gradual increase in external collaboration, which I believe is the future. Even an innovation powerhouse like Unilever needs an outside perspective for innovation work. No company can have all the smartest people in the world working for them. Furthermore, there will be other founders out there who have the same idea as you but have a lead time of one or two years. It makes sense to reach out as it can lead to mutually beneficial synergies for both parties. As I have recently read somewhere, “The future has been made, just not yet scaled.”

As for differentiation from competitors, I believe that for corporate innovation to be successful, one has to recognize the need for speed. In addition, you should have a learning culture where you try and see the opportunities and not just the barriers and challenges. It’s also about having the stamina to keep going and to understand that just because you’ve launched something that it’s not the end but the beginning. Furthermore, it is important to properly balance, run and grow activities in your company and to have dedicated teams for each. Last, embracing technology is essential as it increases efficiency and yields better results.

Are there specific factors or ideologies that you promote internally within Unilever that promote this entrepreneurial scientist culture?

I would say it’s about finding the right balance between push and pull. Push is giving clarity and guidance. What are we going after? What are the priority categories? What do we essentially want to achieve? Why do we want to achieve it? What’s the purpose linked to it? On the other hand, you need a pull factor to kick in. You need to have a team that comes up with complete strategies and concrete plans, wants to experiment and pivots needs to work on their own somehow.

In general, it’s also about creating the right environment where people can flourish. When people are equipped and empowered, they will feel encouraged to try something new. It’s also about getting them out of the comfort zone as you are the one who is providing a safety net. It’s about trying to learn by testing rather than to prove. Besides, remember that even though it may be easy to sell to your board, selling to real people is what counts. It’s also important for large companies juggling a trillion of projects to realize that this is not how you run innovation. This is not giving you the mental space, time and energy to really be innovative. According to organizational psychologist Adam Grant, thinking like a scientis is something that is s relevant for everyone, regardless of your function or how you have been trained. It means that you favor humility over pride and curiosity over conviction and are eager to discover new things and you look for reasons why you might be wrong and not just right. Therefore, I think experimentation is key. Making this part of your culture, inviting the outside perspective in continuously and never losing sight of what really defines your success, which is the value that you are providing to the consumer.

Do you feel that there are significant differences between men and women holding your position within the industry? 

I am not someone who is very much into generalizations. Having said that, I am a huge believer in diversity. I think we need to have a mixed set of talent and gender is a relevant proxy to get there. I am also a believer in strength based leadership where you help people understand what their strengths are and then trying toleverage them as a team. What I believe to see more often in female leaders in my industry is something that I would link to positive leadership. Instead of trying to be an IQ leader where you primarily rely on your brain, an IQ plus EQ leader also follows their heart. For sure men are perfectly capable of displaying emotional intelligence as well. Sometimes they just seem to have a higher barrier to let it show or allow it in.

One of my female colleagues recently said, “Why be afraid of bringing your heart to the office? It doesn’t mean your living leaving your brain at home,” which I completely agree with. I try to create a positive environment for my team members to be able to flourish and develop to their best selves. It’s about fostering, facilitating positive emotions, being aware that those will contribute to the well-being of the individual and of the organization. I very much enjoy showing up with positive energy knowing that it’s contagious, seeing the development between team members while supporting and enabling them, and celebrating their accomplishments.

What do you absolutely love about your job?

I love to have positive impact on people. That’s the first thing, to then have a positive impact on an organization and the business. To then have a positive impact on the world. And that’s what I currently get to do.

What advice would you give young professionals looking to join the consumer goods industry?

Within the FMCG industry, I think that it all starts with being obsessed with adding value to consumers‘ lives. You need to stay very close to them, without any assumptions, in order to understand their needs and wants. If you can preserve this curiosity, you will likely provide relevant solutions and you will be successful. Moreover, you need to consider the full ecosystem. Proper partnerships and alliances need to be formed to create value for everyone. It’s the open mindset of coming together to create more instead of taking away from one another. 

Within the workplace, it’s very important to surround yourself with the right people. That’s the people that lift you up, that support you, and give you energy. It’s also helpful to get input from others. Sometimes you will just be surprised by how others see and appreciate you. For instance, it can be very motivating and uplifting to hear what one of your strengths is. 

I also believe in going where your passion lies. I think this makes life easier and more enjoyable. This is especially true for women. Do not ever doubt yourself. It’s alright to have bad days where you temporarily forget all the great things you have accomplished. However, you need to try to get out of that mindset as quickly as possible. Don’t start doubting yourself. Make sure you have a support system that will help you get out of it. 

Last but not least, is to just go for it. Give it a try. Say yes. Be courageous. There’s nothing to really worry about. Just enjoy the ride.