Unilever CEO reiterates vow to promote sustainable growth model

Paul Polman, CEO of Unilever Plc, visited Bangladesh on November 26-27 as part of his regular visit to key Unilever markets across the world. He was accompanied by Sanjiv Mehta, executive vice president - South Asia Cluster, Unilever.

Kamran Bakr, chairman and managing director of Unilever Bangladesh, and its management committee had detailed engagements with Mr Polman on business strategy and growth opportunity for Unilever in the country, according to a press release of the company.

Commenting on his visit Mr Polman said he is pleased with the manner in which Unilever Bangladesh has been able to deliver on the commitments of Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, and the fact that the company brands are at the forefront of making a positive impact to the lives of millions of people here.

"In order to realise sustainable growth, we are integrating sustainability into our strategy, brands and innovation. This means sustainable and equitable growth is the only acceptable model for our business. We believe growth and sustainability are not in conflict."

"In fact, in our experience sustainability drives growth. I am happy with the progress we have made on driving our sustainability agenda in our Bangladesh business, and this has contributed significantly to the strong growth of our business here. We are fully committed to further strengthening our business in Bangladesh," he added.

This is Mr Polman's second visit to Bangladesh, reflecting Unilever's 'strong business commitment' to the country. Unilever Bangladesh has consistently delivered double-digit growth over the years, and is also one of the top taxpayers in the country, the release mentioned.

During his visit, Mr Polman also addressed employees of Unilever Bangladesh, and gave an overview of Unilever's strategy and the positive contribution being made by markets like Bangladesh to the global business growth.

He also met various stakeholders, including industry leaders, development partners, government officials and prominent personalities of the country, it added.