Organisational autonomy and executive responsibility

In February 2014, I took over as Director of Safety and Environmental Sustainability for Latin America at Unilever.

The company had been through years of cultural transformation with support from DuPont. My challenge was to preserve systems and results while the organisation itself took responsibility for its safety culture.

The agenda reached 19 countries, approximately 30,000 employees, 34 plants and more than 60 distribution centres. The programmes included Be Safe, 100 Days, Protection of Machines, Safe Direction and Safety Journal.

I led the transition with a focus on internal capability, leadership accountability and continuity of processes. The region held low frequency and severity indicators.

In 2014, I trained at ITCILO in Turin. In 2015, I studied leadership, people management and coaching at Ohio University and spoke at WATEC in Israel. In 2016, I had a brief spell at Votorantim Cimentos as Global Head of Health, Safety and Environment.

In the same cycle, I published Faça a Diferença, Seja Líder em Saúde e Segurança (Make the Difference, Be a Leader in Health and Safety), Guia Prático da Liderança pela Segurança (Practical Guide to Safety Leadership) and Como Fazer uma CIPA Fora de Série (How to Run an Outstanding CIPA).

Lessons learned

Culture matures when the organisation takes responsibility for its own systems, decisions and behaviours.