FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

I BUILT THE BUSINESS PLAN FOR THE GLOBAL LAUNCH OF THE DOVE MEN CARE RANGE.
UNILEVER FUTURE LEADERS PROGRAMME
www.unilever.co.uk/careers-job/graduates

Ben Green studied Politics and Business Management at Loughborough. His rst nine monthplacement was in the Accounts Payable Team, performing analysis on debtors and the impact ontheUK business. This, his second, was with the Dove team in London. He has completed hisFuture Leaders Programme and is now the UKs Financial Reporting Manager.
What responsibility were you given? I provided all the nancial inputs tomake the business case for launching a new Dove range globally. It was quite daunting, not long out ofuniversity, to have lots ofreally experienced marketers rely on me! But you quickly start learning from people who have built these cases before. I had a lot of support from my line manager, who showed me where to go to get the information I needed. What key decisions were youmaking? At every stage I had to make big callsthat were going to affect whether the project went ahead: even if its based on research its still subjective, theres no right or wrong answer. Do you go for a smell that ismore expensive if its the one everybody went for in testing? How much do we allocate to packaging? The challenge is trying to avoid or minimise compromise. How was your worklife balance? Some late nights, because when the UK switches off at 5 oclock, Brazil isswitching on. But you manage yourown schedule and there is alotof exibility theres no set timeto bein the ofce. What did you most enjoy? The Unilever Global HQ. It is one ofthe nest buildings in London Iwouldsay, its quite a sight. It is full of people from all over the world, itsreally multicultural. How did it go? When I started, this new Dove range didnt exist. Ninemonths later, weve got adverts on the TV. That makes me smile! Ilearned so much: the project probably developed me more thanany other role because ofthelevel of responsibility.

BEN GREEN Financial Management Trainee

When I started, this new Dove range didnt exist. Ninemonths later, weve got adverts on theTV. That makes mesmile! Ilearned somuch: the project probably developed memore thanany other role because ofthelevel of responsibility.
To read more of our graduates stories visit www.unilevergraduates blog.co.uk

I BUILT THE BUSINESS PLAN FOR THE GLOBAL LAUNCH OF THE DOVE MEN CARE RANGE.

WHATS WORKING IN FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT LIKE?

Analytical mindset? Business brain? Aspirations tobecome a FTSE 100 CFO? A career in Financial Management could be right for you. At Unilever, Financial Management is about so much more thannumbers. Its the lifeblood of our business touching every area, informing multi-million euro decisions, and directly inuencing the development, growth and health of our brands.
Loved the world over We make some of the worlds mostloved brands: Dove, Lynx, PGTips, Sure, Magnum, Persil andHellmanns, to name a few. Over173,000 employees around theworld work tobring them to life. Theyre sold in190 countries, and areused by twobillion people daily. We have an impact on lives in so many different ways, from providing foods and refreshment to cleaning clothes andwashing hair. Whats working in Financial Management like? You will work across local, regionaland global teams. We are trusted advisors right across the business and youll be in the thick of inuencing strategy and investment decisions from day one. You will be making decisions which directly determine the future of our brands, the way we work with our customers and how we run our supply chain. For example, some of our graduates are currently focusing on: The consumer: analysing the impact of consumer trends on business performance Our brands: building business cases for the launch of the next Ben& Jerrys avour The customer: building joint strategies with the worlds biggestretailers International experience: working in Singapore driving nancial efciencies across our network offactories in South East Asia The shareholder: preparing management and nancial statements for our leading FTSE100 company. What do we look for? It might come as a surprise, but wedont have a specic discipline requirement, so you dont have to have a background in nance or economics. We are looking for stronganalytical skills, a talent for inuencing people and a real desire to understand how a business operates and succeeds. Enthusiasm and commitment go a long way. We are looking for our future Financial Management leaders. What will the programme involve? Youll take on three stretching placements across our businesses, and well give our best candidates the opportunity to work internationally. Youll gain experience both in Financial and Management accounting, and this will be underpinned by studying for your Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) qualication. Itwill be hard work, but were looking for people who relish the chance to push themselves.

A small taste of what you could be facing when working in Financial Management at Unilever:

THE BRANDS Preparing business cases for the launch of the next Ben & Jerrys variety.

THE CUSTOMER Building joint strategies with the worlds biggest retailers.

THE SHAREHOLDER Analysing performance of our 51bn business and providing insight to the CEO and CFO.

THE CONSUMER Analysing the impact of consumer trends on our business performance.

THE FINANCIAL STATEMENTS Preparing management and nancial statements for our leading FTSE 100Company.

THE SUPPLY CHAIN Allocating xed cost to Persil laundry detergent through activity based costing model.

THE QUALIFICATION Studying to become a Chartered Management Accountant.

6.8bn

spent on advertising and promoting

51bn
global turnover

2.5bn
sales in the UK

BIG NUMBERS MAKING A BIG DIFFERENCE

4.3bn
cash generated each year

55%

of our business comes from emerging markets

14

brands with sales of more than 1billion a year

We have big ambitions to grow our business but todo it we need great people who can challenge theway we do things, bring new ideas to the table and dare to take big decisions. We want our future to be shaped and made by you.
The Unilever Future Leaders Programme (UFLP) is about having a big impact on business, right from the start. Its about growing iconic multi-million euro, market-leading brands from day one. Its about learning business fast. Youll tap intocontinuous business mentoring, excellent training and hands-on responsibility. Youll learn like youvenever learned before. Its challenging, make no mistake. But were looking to make managers of you in two years, while helping you gain your CIMA qualication. In focusing on your whole development, personally and professionally, well concentrate onthree key areas: learning by experience learning through peopleand formal learning, including qualications. Learn from experience From day one youll be given the responsibility to solve a variety of surprising and important issues youll have real ownership of key decisions. Its the fastest way to learn. All elements of our business interact, so youll be working with experts across many disciplines ona number of different placements within your chosen area. Youll work in different locations in some cases internationally and by experiencing multiple aspects of the business hands-on, youll be better placed to progress your career. Learn from people Youll receive direct attention tofocus on your needs and help youdevelop your skills. Youll getbusiness mentoring from experienced managers, individual coaching, advice from a trainee buddy, as well as having the UFLP network to call on. Formal learning You will follow a world-class learning roadmap throughout the two years of the programme that encompasses a range of general and leadership skills programmes delivered through e-learning and instructor-led training sessions. Inaddition we offer a marketleading CIMA support package worth over 15,000 with 14 weeks supported study leave in your rst two years. On top of this you will haveadditional training specically related to Financial Management. Analytics opportunities The level of information within modern business is unprecedented, be it evaluating consumer responsiveness to digital advertising or tweeting trends on brands. AtUnilever, we believe in the power ofinsight from information and we are building Big Data expertise. Ifyou are fascinated by this you couldhave a key role to play in the development of this capability withinFinancial Management.

FORMAL LEARNING Professional qualications Business area training Soft skills training

BUILDING LEADERSHIP CAPABILITY

LEARNING THROUGH PEOPLE Trainee buddy Experienced manager as mentor Individual coaching

LEARNING THROUGH EXPERIENCE Challenging assignments Real responsibility

REWARDS &BENEFITS
What are the rewards and benets? A starting salary of 29,000 reviewed every six months for therst two years, based on performance An annual bonus based on personal and business performance A one-off payment if you have aMasters/PhD London allowance when based incentral London Longer-term management share awards, based on performance. Other benets include: Contributory pension Private health insurance Life assurance Interest-free loan of 5,000 whenyou join Flexible and agile working 25 days annual leave Full CIMA support worth over 15,000 plus 14 weeks study leave Relocation programme: moving expenses and contract signing feepaid and assistance with ndingaccommodation at your newlocation Discounted staff shop Access to sport, leisure and numerous other on-site facilities. What are the requirements? It might come as a surprise, but wedont have a specic discipline requirement, so you dont have to have a background in nance or economics. We are, however, looking for something very specic: strong analytical skills, a talent for inuencing people and a real desire to understand how a business operates and succeeds. Enthusiasm and commitment go a long way.

HOW DO IAPPLY?
The application process for the Future Leaders Programme involvesfour stages: Application form Online test Telephone interview Selection day. All the information you need to know, including an application form and advice on how to apply, can be foundon our website at www.unilever.co.uk/careers-jobs/ graduates Placements For information on our 12-week Summer and 12-month Industrial Placement opportunities and how toapply, please go to www.unilever.co.uk/careers-jobs/ graduates/industrial-placement www.facebook.com/ unilevercareers www.twitter.com/ unilevergradsuk www.unilevergraduatesblog. co.uk