Meet the man behind Unilever SA

Unilever SA chairman Peter Cowan presides over the country's best employer, with a reputation for doing the right thing

Unilever South Africa’s headquarters is in a modern, state-of-the-art building on Umhlanga Ridge. It’s beautifully designed to let the light shine in and allow staff to soak in splendid ocean views.

It seems regimented at first: upon arrival you receive a notice with driving regulations for the complex. When you park, a red sign enjoins you to do so in gear, with your handbrake secure. And as you descend the stairs, a sign reminds you that it’s mandatory to hold the handrail.

The sense of foreboding this might invoke is dissolved on meeting Unilever SA chairman Peter Cowan. He’s a warm, genial fellow and he leads a business that is critical to Durban’s economy.

Unilever is a colossus, the world’s third biggest consumer goods company after Procter and Gamble and Nestlé. Around since the 1880s, Unilever has 172,000 staff (3 500 in SA) and global turnover of R720-billion last year.

story_article_left1

Up there in the corporate stratosphere, you have to have order. You are responsible for hundreds of brands, millions of line items and a huge reputation.

In Durban, dealing with Unilever exposes you to a world of best practice, benchmarking and reputational risk.

Unilever people fervently guard the company name and everything it stands for. Everything appears well considered, from corporate governance to social responsibility.

A job at Unilever is coveted. The company has been voted South Africa’s top employer for the past two years. So you’re highly rated if you make it in the Unilever hierarchy.

Cowan’s casual demeanour belies an organised mind, well versed in successful systems.

The 61-year-old was born in Cape Town, but spent his formative years holidaying with his mom’s family in Durban. His grandfather was Paul Labuschagne, a pioneering mill doctor in Tongaat, and Cowan remembers accompanying him to dispense malaria tablets on sugar estates.

Cowan is not a crusader, but this childhood experience might have instilled a bit of Albert Schweitzer-style zeal in him.

He talks passionately about Unilever’s “brand-with-purpose” ethos. “The link is inextricable, not an addition. Our brands must touch people and improve their lives, they’re not just an add-on.”

For example, diseases such as pneumonia and diarrhoea stop 1.7-million children from reaching their fifth birthday. Hand-washing is one of the most effective and low-cost methods of preventing disease. So Unilever’s Lifebuoy “School of 5” campaign teaches children to wash their hands with soap on five key occasions in a day, such as after going to the toilet and before eating. It creates a lifelong habit (and a useful association with Lifebuoy).

Last year, Unilever hosted a hand-wash campaign in 25 schools and eight clinics. It reached 18 000 children.

Another example is Unilever’s global alliance with the World Toilet Organisation, to improve awareness of adequate sanitation. The “Cleaner Toilets, Brighter Future” campaign saw the renovation of 24 primary school toilet facilities in South Africa in five years.

Unilever sponsors a host of enterprise initiatives globally and partners with NGOs such as Unicef and the World Wildlife Fund. It was also a major sponsor of Enactus, an organisation that encourages entrepreneurs. Cowan was a judge recently and two of the finalists were from KZN.

The level of passion, skill and intellect, he says, was remarkable. “The Enactus World Cup, involving 36 countries, will be held in South Africa next month.”

Unilever’s purpose is to create a brighter future for all South Africans by improving the health, hygiene and nutrition of young children. Cynics might say that’s enlightened self-interest: a brighter future means more sales.

“Of course it is about selling more products, but our brands can make a positive impact in society and we strongly encourage all our employees to support our vision … we are here to run a great business and build on the great legacy of our founders, but at the same time continue to build a sustainable and prosperous future for all stakeholders.”

Cowan works for a company that has a reputation for doing the right thing, with multiple stakeholders, for a long time. He studiously avoids personal aggrandisement, but you get the sense that while some people tick the boxes on social responsibility and sustainability, others, like Cowan, do it with heart.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT PETER COWAN

• He started his career at Gilbeys in Stellenbosch, then worked for Johnson & Johnson in East London, the US, Australia and south-east Asia.

• Aged 40, he was headhunted to work for the New Zealand Dairy Board in Wellington. He ran an international wine and spirits business in Sydney. • He then took the helm of a mid-size beauty company in the Asia Pacific region. Unilever bought it.

• He ran Unilever in the Philippines for two years, before taking the helm of Unilever SA two years ago. All in all, Cowan has worked in 11 cities on three continents.

• Moving around, he says, has taught him resilience, how to adapt and to appreciate cultural nuance.

story_article_right2

EXECUTIVE INSIGHTS

“Working around the world in brands and corporate leadership has taught me valuable leadership lessons, particularly in the key areas of geographical and cultural diversity. You really need to understand how your leadership style and behaviour can sometimes dramatically affect a company, and individual motivation and output. Developing and refining your interpersonal skills is paramount, as is highly inclusive communication, collaboration and engagement. Universally we want to be treated with dignity and respect, while having a true sense of belonging and wanting to feel included.”

ON HIS LOVE OF SPORT

“It started at school. You cannot underestimate the fundamental skills you gain from participating in team-related sport. It teaches you the importance of teamwork, tactics, resilience, humility, how to bounce back from adversity and, above all, the magic feeling of winning. These are all extremely relevant in today’s competitive world.”

ON WORKING IN DURBAN

“It’s a hidden gem with enormous economic potential to grow, attract investment and step up tourism. The harbour and surrounding infrastructure offer business easy access to international markets and domestic businesses. Unilever’s broad presence in Durban provides a compelling employee proposition and has continued to attract diverse and outstanding talent.”  

ON FAMILY

Cowan and his wife, Sue, live in Durban, but their three grown-up children are scattered overseas, as are many close friends and acquaintances.

ON REDUCING ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

“In the past four years, a significant investment has gone into building new factories that utilise the latest, world-class green technologies. Our new factories, like the Indonsa factory in Riverhorse Valley, focus on carbon reduction, water neutrality and zero landfill. The design of the Indonsa factory has become the Unilever blueprint for any dry-foods factory expansion worldwide.”

This article was originally published in this month's Spice