Hindustan Lever Limited, which has traditionally been the cradle for nourishing talent and supplying CEOs to parent Unilever's various outfits across the globe, is getting an expat CEO after 34 years.
Douglas Baillie, currently heading the group's Africa, Middle East and Turkey business as group vice-president, and who is slated to take over as CEO and Managing Director on March 1, is relatively unknown in India. An HLL insider says very few in the company have actually seen him and the company's public relations department could only guide mediapersons to the Unilever website for his picture. However, this could work in Baillie's favour.
"Baillie is a Lever lifer like me. He is an outstanding leader and will bring in a certain freshness and look at things in a new perspective," says Harish Manwani, his boss, and the non-executive chairman of Hindustan Lever.
HLL insiders say when Baillie was first offered this assignment, he actually declined it.
It is Manwani who persuaded him to take up the job. The common link between the two, they say, is their African assignment. An avid sports lover, Baillie is sure to enjoy the new challenge.
Born and educated in Zimbabwe, Baillie graduated from the University of Natal and joined Unilever SA in 1978. A sales and marketing wizard, his career peaked as a secondment to Lever Rexona in Australia in 1987.
On his return to South Africa in late 1988, he took up the position of sales director, which was followed by a stint as marketing director.
He moved to London in 1994 to Lever Pond's, personal products co-ordination where he became the regional liaison member for Africa, Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe and Turkey before becoming vice president, home and personal care, Africa business group.
He was appointed managing director, Lever Pond's South Africa in 1997 and national manager, Unilever South Africa in May 2000. In March 2004, Baillie took over as president of the Africa regional group and in July 2004 was appointed president, AMET in addition to his current role.
Prior to joining Lever, he worked with Coca-Cola; Bunge & Born's Molinos Riop de la Plata and Gillette Company in Argentina.
Lever insiders say Baillie is deeply interested in making a real difference to the communities in which the company operates and has been involved with campaigns like WASH in South Africa, which promotes the simple act of washing hands with soap as a means to saving lives.
This fits in well with the Unilever's philosophy of catching them young the company starts such campaigns with the children, for it is at this age that new behaviours can be learned. Children are also very influential and often educate their parents by taking home what they have learnt at school. The 'education' often translates into picking up Lever products.
HLL insiders say Baillie is lucky as HLL, after four years of lacklustre growth, has started showing momentum and energy in its sales performance. The past three quarters have been robust for the company.
