Paulus Verschuren - The Netherlands

Profile

"I find my work fascinating," says Paulus Verschuren. "I've wanted to make a difference since I started working for Unilever 28 years ago. It was only later that I began to experience great satisfaction in contributing to the health of poor people in developing countries. And it is great to see the same growing enthusiasm from my colleagues who are looking to combine business and social goals in their daily work."

Paulus first joined Unilever in 1981 as an animal pathologist. He led the Vlaardingen group on Pathology and Animal Care before moving to Unilever's London headquarters for four years as deputy head of the Safety & Environmental Assurance Centre. In 1992, he left London to take up an external position as Executive Director of the International Life Sciences Institute in Brussels. In 1996 he re-joined Unilever and was appointed Director External Relations of the Unilever Health Institute, where he describes his role as a "marketer in science", promoting Unilever products and their health benefits.

Partnership development

Today, Paulus is responsible for bringing together people from Unilever and global health organisations through the Partnership Development Group, which he set up in 2006. The group's aim is to develop partnerships with global health organisations to create both business and social value. He oversees Unilever's global health partnerships with UNICEF, the World Food Programme (WFP), the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), World Heart Federation (WHF), Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) and the World Dental Federation (FDI).

Successful partnerships combine and develop the skills and competencies of each organisation. "Unilever can't meet these challenges alone, nor can our partners. We work with them because of their ability to bring people together and they help create awareness of our products. Our partners benefit from our technical and marketing expertise," explains Paulus. "In any partnership it is important that organisations trust each other and there are no surprises."

As Paulus concedes, this is not always an easy task. Companies like Unilever have very different cultures and goals compared with non-governmental organisations. "We are working hard to make sure we're recognised as a trustworthy partner, and I believe we are increasingly earning that reputation. It's important to have a genuine desire to work together, a clear plan of action with defined targets and milestones and of course a lot of energy," says Paulus.

Achieving business and social goals

Paulus is increasingly aware of the opportunities for Unilever in developing countries. He sees a clear link between healthy societies and successful brands: build one and you build the other. "There are such complex problems and no one can solve them alone," he explains. "We are the only company that sells both nutrition and hygiene, serving the most pressing needs of children and their families in developing countries. There are still two billion under-served consumers that can benefit from Unilever's products. This is a huge business and social opportunity, and innovative partnerships can successfully face this dual challenge."