Q&A with Unilever's Luis di Como

Ahead of our leadership breakfast in Dubai, we caught up with Unilever's Luis di Como to get his thoughts on leadership and bravery.

How can marketers be braver?
By being pioneers and being curious, and thinking how can we provide disruptive solutions to serve people at scale.

What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken in your career?
At the age of 30 I took the decision to move from Argentina to Thailand, to move from working in local to global marketing and moving from eating meat every day to eating rice all day! So, I had to change so many things in my personal and professional life that was a big change and big risk, but it was worth it!

Which leader do you most admire?
As an Argentinean I have huge admiration for the transformation that Pope Francis is leading in the Church to address some of the key bad practises, as well as having a broader and more inclusive perspective. Also, the thousands of unknown leaders all around the world that, without the headlines, work every day for a better world.

You’re have lived and worked in Asia, Latin America, Europe and now North America. What have you learnt from being a global citizen?
There are more commonalities across generations than regions. A millennial in Asia has the same values and behaviours as their counterpart in the west, however they have totally different approaches to other generations in the same region.

What advice would you give to other leaders about building purpose-driven brands at scale?
Focus on the billion, not the billionaires. Focus on the billions of people that deserve a brighter life for them and the generations to come rather than the short term greed of billionaires looking for short term profits.