Unilever's mission is to add vitality to life. It meets everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene,and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.Simply speaking, Unilever recognizes that the world in which it operates ischanging. Consumers are increasingly bringing their views as citizens into their buyingdecisions, demanding more from the companies behind the brands. They want companiesand brands they trust
Unilever’s priority is meeting and responding to their consumers‘ needs all around the world. The core building block in Unilever is the local operating company. These companies are organized into tenregional groups. Following the announcement of the evolution of its top management structure in February 2000, in line with their Path to Growth strategy(elaborated upon further in the project), Unilever now operates with two global divisions- Foods, headed by Kees Van der Graaf and Home and Personal Care headed by Kek iDadiseth. This structure allows improved focus on foods and home and personal care activities at both the regional and global levels. It allows for faster decision making and strengthens Unilever’s capacity for innovation by more effectively integrating research into the divisional structure. Reporting to their respective divisional executive directors, are the Unilever Bestfoods and the Home and Personal Care regional presidents, responsible for the profitability of their regions. The regions remain the driving force behind Unilever,comprising as they do the operating companies which provide the key interface with customers and consumers, allowing quick response to the needs of local markets. Unilever Bestfoods, Ice Cream and Frozen Foods, has been formed into a global businesses has Foodservice - a new focus, the result of the acquisition of Bestfoods in mid 2000.