• Have a deep understanding of your consumers and customers. • Believe in the power of brands and innovation. • Use collaboration and partnership to accomplish things with suppliers and retailers. • Recognize that people make the difference. You can have the best ideas, brands and competitive business model, but if you don’t have great people, great things won’t happen. • Play to win every day. You must have a competitive mindset. “I would advise anyone starting off his or her career in this industry to get as many broadening experiences as early as possible to build foundational skills that will help you become a great leader down the road,” says Mike. “Part of that is understanding the different components of the business model and having a good appreciation of sales, marketing, manufacturing and research. A big part of success is to be able to see the business through the lenses of others. “While I don’t suggest any specific position as a career starting point, a belief in oneself, drive, and a passion to learn is a potent combination that will make someone stand out in the early years. “The excitement SIFE students have for free enterprise has always impressed me. The entrepreneurial spirit and appreciation for using innovative ideas
Did You Know?
to build something from nothing are really important to success in business. SIFE students tend to come to the table with a built-in understanding of these business basics. “The other thing that SIFE students understand better than many people I meet is that we live in a global community and we need to think about business in that context. For 11 consecutive years, Unilever has been the Number 1 Global Food & Beverage Company on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index. At Unilever, our business model is based on the understanding that we will not just grow, but do so in a way that gives something back to the markets and communities in which we do business. We drive our business in a sustainable way. What I’ve seen from SIFE students is they really do see the virtue in our key premise that you
can do well by doing good. “The consumer goods industry lifeblood is the entrepreneurial spirit of our people. If you look at many of the brands in our industry, such as Lever® or Breyers® or Sunlight®, there were entrepreneurs behind those brands. While big companies like Unilever have built them into global powerhouses, they were originally created by an individual with a belief in an idea. That’s what makes this work remarkable and fun. There are so many ideas and concepts still to be discovered and brought to market today. We just need bright, creative minds to unlock them. “SIFE has been an incredible pipeline of talent for us. Unilever has operations in 150 countries around the world, and the global nature of SIFE is strategically important to our recruitment, our partnership and commitment.” n
Car you drive: Lincoln Navigator (I would argue this
Interesting fact: I am a first generation
car is carbon-friendly since I have seven children
American; my dad came through Ellis Island
and we would have to drive two cars)
Hometown: Franklin Lakes, New Jersey
Secret for success as a leader: Work hard, Do Advice on raising seven children: It’s like a
the right thing, Believe in people, Commit yourself
riptide – don’t try to swim against the tide.
to win in the market
reading it, too)
Career you would choose if you didn’t pursue this path: As a kid, I dreamed of being a
Hobbies: Tennis, skiing, reading
Family: Married with seven children
professional hockey player (NY Rangers!)
Book most recently read: Fahrenheit 451 (since my 15-year-old son has to read it, I am
SIFE 2009 | Career Connections 21 ®