Who is Unilever's new Supply Chain Chief Willem Uijen?

Unilever has a new Chief Supply Chain Officer in the form of Willem Uijen.

Willem, a Unilever veteran of more than 25 years, said he was "thrilled" to become CSCO having previously served as the FMCG giant's Chief Procurement Officer. 

He is set to oversee supply chain operations for Unilever's portfolio of 400 brands across nearly 200 countries.

Who is Willem Uijen?

Willem began his journey with Unilever as a trainee engineer at the company's Research Centre in Vlaardingen, The Netherlands.

Armed with an MSc in Applied Physics from Eindhoven University, he has since built an impressive career spanning various supply chain disciplines, including logistics, manufacturing, customer service, distribution and planning.

Prior to his appointment as Chief Procurement Officer in September 2022, Uijen made significant contributions as Executive Director of Supply Chain at Hindustan Unilever and Head of Supply Chain for South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australasia. During his tenure, he led a transformative agenda focused on agility and resilience, notably achieving plastic neutrality for Hindustan Unilever in 2021.

Willem's extensive international experience includes leadership roles across multiple regions, serving as Vice President for Unilever Mexico and the Caribbean Supply Chain, Vice President for Home Care Supply Chain Latin America based in Switzerland and Vice President for Unilever Home Care Supply Chain in London.

Empowering teams and driving sustainability

Willem has spoken in the past of his desire to lead by empowering his colleagues, enabling them to "work on things they’re interested in and passionate about".

In an interview with Unilever published in 2023, he said: "There has to be a strategy, but then I trust my team to get the job done in the best possible way.

"Over the years, I have changed my leadership style and I think it’s that ability to adapt to different environments that’s helped me build high-functioning teams."

He is also passionate about sustainability and integrating environmentally-friendly initiatives into the procurement and supply chain function. 

"Sustainability – in terms of people and planet – is integral to the decisions we make on who we work with and what we buy," Willem added. 

"Let’s say we find that a partner isn’t complying with our policies and the standards we expect – we will first work with them to try and find a solution. But if we can’t, we will end the relationship and find a better, as well as competitive, partner to work with.

"Another element is about innovating to improve our value chain. For example, our commitment to be net zero by 2039 requires innovation between us and our partners. We need to find new ways of sourcing and alternative materials to achieve that objective."

Busy start for Willem

Willem has experienced a busy start to his tenure as Chief Supply Chain Officer at Unilever. 

Reflecting on his first few weeks in the role, he wrote on LinkedIn: "My journey began with an inspiring week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, where I had the pleasure of meeting many of our partners from key markets, alongside Hein Schumacher (CEO) and Rebecca Marmot (Chief Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer).

"The week started with the honour of collecting our eighth Global Lighthouse Network award on behalf of our Tinsuka site in India. This award not only recognises our technological advancements but also underscores our dedication to driving sustainable growth and delivering superior products to our consumers. It is a testament to the hard work and innovation of our team at Tinsuka."

"I also had productive discussions with partners like Google, Microsoft and Lenovo about leveraging technology and AI to enhance our demand generation and drive productivity. Additionally, I participated in a panel discussion with the UN Global Compact on how technology investments can drive diversity and gender equality."

He continued: "One of the highlights was sharing our plans to support India's 'National mission on Edible Oil Mission' by developing farmers and communities in the local cultivation of palm oil. This initiative not only supports social development but also our supply chain resilience.

"I'm now back in London feeling energised and ready to tackle the exciting challenges ahead. Together, we will continue to drive innovation, sustainability and growth at Unilever."

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