The Lonely Quest of Unilever's CEO Paul Polman
Companies that do not contribute to a better world do not have the right to exist. They need to focus on doing the right thing, making the world a better place and then the money will follow. In February 2017, Kraft Heinz’s attempt to buy Unilever for 135 billion euros ends in failure. According to Paul Polman, a company whose stated purpose is purely to make money has no reason to exist. The Unilever CEO refuses to work for the benefit of a few billionaires. Companies must be a force for good and work for the billions of people who have nothing.
Polman is popular with governments and charitable organisations, but confidence among analysts and investors is thin. They are more interested in sales projections; there is no place in their calculations for good deeds. But how sustainable is that?
His attempt to steer Unilever into a safe Dutch haven in order to escape Brexit and seek refuge from shareholders focused on short-term profits ultimately hits the rocks. Walking the line between making money and doing the right thing, Polman, more ‘priest’ than CEO, is too far ahead of his time.
The world is crying out for big business to address the major issues of our time, such as climate change. The Great Battle is a compelling call to action for us all to rethink our behaviour. This is the only way to save capitalism’s soul.
After finishing his MBA Jeroen Smit (1963) worked as a strategy consultant before starting a 30-year- career in business journalism. He wrote books about the rise and fall of the CEOS’ of Ahold, ABN Amro, and most recently Unilever. What makes leaders come to believe in their own truth? Turning their companies into victims of groupthink and tunnel vision! With his investigative approach, Smit shows the inner workings of these companies to the general public.
