Christian Lewendon

What is your current role?

I am working in the UK & Ireland Data & Analytics team, in the Business Engagement area.

What has it been like working in your chosen function?

Eye-opening. To see how technology touches every corner of the business and the work that goes into ensuring the business runs efficiently - and not only survives but thrives - is astonishing.

It’s been fascinating to see and learn how every element of technology merges together to succeed, particularly in terms of people - how the technically minded come together with the more business minded to deliver solutions and impact to the business.

What has been the highlight of your placement?

A number of moments stand-out to me but I would say my highlight was delivering a presentation to some senior leaders as part of the end of placement process. The remit was a 15-minute presentation giving a bit of background to myself, showcasing what I’ve worked on/achieved over the year, and what my future aspirations are.

I put a lot of thought and effort into preparing the presentation, I was incredibly nervous before and whilst delivering it, but it went really well and receiving positive feedback was so rewarding because my hard work had paid off in terms of prep for the presentation, but also my hard work over the entire year.

What have been your biggest challenges and how did you tackle them?

The biggest challenge I faced was coming to terms with the size and scale of such a massive organisation. I have a background in an SME which is so different in how it operates to a multinational corporation like Unilever. Part of this was how to work effectively with colleagues from all areas of the business, and part of this was how to make an impact when the organisation is so big.

It is fair to say that no one at Unilever, no matter their position, or how long they’ve worked at the company, fully understands the size and scale of the company. But the way I tackled it was twofold:

• Firstly, watching training videos, getting involved in workshops, and networking with colleagues from around the business to understand different roles, different priorities, and different ways of working. Exposure to different areas really helps to understand how the business operates and creates value.
• Secondly, by understanding the value that pieces of work/projects bring and then measuring the impact to focus on those with the largest benefit to the company/function/team.

What 3 words best describe your Unilever experience?

• Challenging(in a good way)–which have helped me grow and learn constantly.
• Rewarding–sense of pride and accomplish at achievements and personal growth. 
• Invigorating–making me optimistic for what the future holds.

What advice do you have for any future Unilever employees?

Three pieces of advice:

• Be open-minded and flexible–take everything that comes in your stride and be vulnerable to being challenged, both personally and professionally, because it all counts towards your growth.
• Measure your impact–quantify(if possible)the impact your work has on your team/function/business and with this, cultivate a strong sense of self-awareness – by knowing your strengths and weaknesses it will become clearer on how you can make an impact.
• Seek forgiveness not permission–don’t wait for a line manager etc to give permission to do a piece of work. Identify a gap, measure the impact, and do it (if the impact is worth the effort).