Why would you invest in a company which is out of synch with the needs of society, that does not take its social compliance in its supply chain seriously, that does not think about the costs of externalities or of its negative impacts on society?
— Paul Polman
Often people ask me what my job is, and I say, honestly, it is to make others successful, and the more you do that, the more you will see that you create prosperity.
I discovered a long time ago that if I focus on doing the right thing for the long term to improve the lives of consumers and customers all over the world, the business results will come.
I see business as an ecosystem.
Too many companies are running their business into the ground, I would argue, by being myopically short-term focused on the shareholder.
The basic skills of leaders are always the same: be driven by a deeper purpose, be a human being, have a passion for what you do, and it's also about hard work and ethics.
If the short-term decisions you make damage the long term, you should resist those. But there are many short-term decisions that you need to make to be a successful manager.
As economies have evolved, the nature of work has always changed.
While we have created prosperity for many, too many are being left behind.
The young give us hope because young people are certain their best days still lie ahead - which explains why they're absolutely convinced they can change the world for the better.
Empowering women is one of the most important things we - and indeed, every business - can do.
Every few decades, we have an opportunity to make a drastic change to the way we live our lives. We get a chance to design the building blocks of our daily routines, the infrastructure that will support and accompany us for the years to come - from the trains and trams we ride, the offices we work in, to the energy that powers our homes.
More and more businesses are seeing the potential of a more sustainable business model, driven both by the firm belief that business can be a force for good and by the realization that the cost of inaction often exceeds the cost of action - notably when it comes to the growing threat of climate change and water scarcity.
Let's work together to make our economies strong and our climate sustainable. It can be done.
In certain cases, empowering women starts with making their lives easier and removing unnecessary burdens.
Safe working conditions, fair wages, protection from forced labor, and freedom from harassment and discrimination - these must become standard global operating conditions.
Simply put, the low-carbon economy is better for growth.
There are billions of people in the world who deserve the better quality of life that products such as soap, shampoo, and clean drinking water can provide.
I don't have a problem crying when I need to cry.
It's easy to be a short-term hero. It is very easy for me to get tremendous results very short term, get that translated into compensation, and be off sailing in the Bahamas. But the goal for this company - and it's very difficult to do - the goal is to follow a four- or five-year process.
You can put yourself to the purpose of others, and in doing so, you can be better off.
I say to a lot of people you have to measure success in terms of progress, not in terms of end state.
I don't subscribe to, 'Here are the top ten tips to successful leadership,' or, 'How to learn leadership in ten minutes.' A leader is someone who gives positive energy to others which then results in a better change than would have happened. I think everyone is a leader.
As CEO of Unilever, my personal mission is to galvanize our company to be an effective force for good.
It only takes a handful of sizeable companies to reach a tipping point and to transform markets.
If we all act together - business, governments, NGOs and citizens and, especially, the young - just imagine the good we could create.
The moral case for gender equality is obvious. It should not need any explanation.
We all have responsibility to stop violence and discrimination against women, whether it's in our businesses, in our homes, or on our streets.
We need new, dynamic models for growth through the sharing economy, using big data to unlock new insights and adopting closed-loop cycles.
Purpose has always been part of Unilever's DNA. Our founder, William Lever, built a business around the sale of Lifebuoy soap that was not only profitable and sustainable but also helped transform the health of the poor in Victorian Britain.
Many businesses understand the advantages of gender parity.
Business must go on reiterating its absolute commitment to embedding human rights in all it does, driving industry change through collaboration with governments, international organizations, and each other.
It cannot be right in a world of increasing human progress - whether in medicine, space exploration or renewable energy - that so many people are denied the most basic human rights.
Forest nations willing to do more than their fair share to solve the climate crisis should be rewarded through results-based payments.
Working together on solving something requires a high level of humility and a high level of self-awareness.
Too often, we are being programmed by the environment around us to behave differently. But I think a true leader is an authentic person who feels good about who he is.
I am very confident about the Modi government.
I do not work for the shareholder, to be honest. I work for the customer.
There is still too much pressure on short-termism in terms of the drivers of success.
There are some basic human needs that are the same. Everybody wants to succeed.
I grew up in a small town in the Netherlands which, for years, had been a center of textile production.
We can no longer pretend that business is immune from the rising tide of environmental or social challenges or that companies can create value in isolation from the communities of which they are a part.
Sustainability makes good business sense, and we're all on the same team at the end of the day. That's the truth about the human condition.
At Unilever, we are committed to building an inclusive organisation where all individuals feel safe, valued, and supported - irrespective of gender, background, or any other difference.
Land is a great example of how we can manage and invest in sustainable infrastructure for economic, social, and environmental gains. Its use - and misuse - is at the heart of the challenge for food, fuel, and fibre.
Consumers in both emerging and developed markets want it all - high-performing products, the right price, and a purpose that they can connect with.
It is not possible to have a strong, functioning business in a world of increasing inequality, poverty, and climate change.
When we empower women, society benefits, grows, and thrives.
Business has a responsibility and opportunity to be the driving force for the advancement of universal human rights.
Around the world, businesses and investors are increasingly taking action to climate-proof their own organizations.
