Fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company Unilever Bangladesh has appointed Zinnia Huq as its new finance director. She previously served as the director of finance for beauty and wellbeing and personal care business divisions. With this appointment, Zinnia joined the management committee of Unilever Bangladesh and is the first female finance director of the company. Zinnia took over from Zahidul Islam Malita, who was appointed as procurement finance director in Singapore at the same time. Read more: Unilever Bangladesh wins 'Asia's Best Employer Brands 2022' award With over 22 years in the industry, she has experience in finance, regional operations, and manufacturing. "In 2019, Zinnia joined UBL where she led the integration of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and integrated it into Unilever's processes and systems," Unilever said Wednesday. Before joining Unilever, Zinnia served as the finance director at GSK Bangladesh from 2014 and worked with BAT Bangladesh, where she held various roles in corporate finance and international audit, headed the supply chain finance and served as the regional finance project lead in Singapore for Asia Pacific. Read More: Top FMCG Companies in Bangladesh: At a Glance

Unilever Bangladesh Limited (UBL), the largest Fast Moving Consumer Goods Company has recently launched a Voluntary Donation Programme to support the families of its outer core employee, the Distribution Field Force (DFF), who have been impacted by the devastating floods in Sylhet, Bogra, and the central-northern region of Bangladesh. Through this programme, employees of Unilever Bangladesh have donated a portion of their monthly salary, and the company matched the donations to raise a total of Tk 50 lakhs, read a media statement. More than 550 DFF staff were affected by the floods, living without basic necessities such as clean water and shelter. Read: Bangladesh wins Unilever Future Leaders' League 2022 To stand beside them, Unilever Bangladesh is providing a sum of Tk fifty lakhs of monetary assistance over July and August and distributing water purifier tablets and protective gear like gum boots. “The Distribution Field Force (DFF) is an integral part of UBL. Despite the impact of the flood, they are doing their duties to smooth business continuity. “We are committed to the health and wellbeing of our staff, and as a company, rallied together to stand beside our DFF in their tough time. After all, when you take care of your people, they will take care of the business,” said Sakshi Handa, Human Resource Director, Unilever Bangladesh Limited. Read Unilever starts collecting plastic in partnership with Circular As one resilient team, Unilever Bangladesh is ensuring the continued safety and well-being of the DFF and their families.

Unilever Bangladesh has unveiled its Sustainability Report 2021, "Partnering Bangladesh." The report, recently launched at an event in the capital, shows the company's work and impact on the health, environment and society. In 2021, Unilever Bangladesh invested over Tk430 million covering 10 different SDG agendas. It collaborated with the largest municipal-backed plastic waste collection project in Bangladesh and supported communities fighting Covid-19. Read: Confidence Infrastructure inaugurates geotextiles plant Zaved Akhtar, CEO and managing director of Unilever Bangladesh, said: "In Bangladesh, we have used our brands to improve the lives of people. We have many success stories like improving the oral hygiene of the children of the country and teaching over 10 million school children proper hand washing since the 1990s." "We are now focusing on replicating these experiences for toilet hygiene, the habit of safe water consumption and mental wellbeing, as we identified these to be the areas where there are barriers or taboos." "But it is clear we need to do much more – within our business, and by using our size, scale and partnerships in our value chain and beyond," Zaved said. Read Unilever rebranding 'Fair and Lovely' Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun said: "Unilever has not only been conducting business in Bangladesh for more than five decades but also working with its partners for the social and environmental progress of Bangladesh as an ethical and responsible organisation. "The company is working with about 1 million entrepreneurs across the country. As a result, Unilever Bangladesh is making a huge contribution in creating employment." British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson said: "Despite the challenges and vulnerability of Bangladesh on climate, I feel the partnership between the government, Unilever, as a catalyst and a private sector donator of capability and purpose and finance, and the capability of the third sector, corporate civil society organisations to reach out into the society, is very strong." Read Unilever hands over cheques for Tk 71.84 million to Labour Welfare Foundation

 

UN Women Bangladesh in collaboration with Unilever Bangladesh and Ministry of Expatriates’ Welfare and Overseas Employment (MoEW&OE) launched a project on Saturday to support women returnee migrants with ‘dignity’ packages and health-hygiene kits in 10 districts across the country. 

Kedar Lele, CEO and Managing Director of Unilever Bangladesh Ltd (UBL) one of the largest ‘fast moving consumer goods’ (FMCG) Company in the country, has been appointed as the new Chairman of the company.

 

Unilever Bangladesh Limited (UBL) has donated BiPAP Breathing Machines and COVID-19 testing kits to SAJIDA Foundation. This donation is part of Unilever Bangladesh’s pledge of Tk 200 million to help the nation in its fight against COVID-19, according to a press release. The commitment includes measures such as product donations, creating social awareness, improving health infrastructure, protecting its people, and livelihoods. During this unparalleled times of need, UBL has partnered with SAJIDA Foundation, one of the leading organisations supporting the government during the COVID-19 crisis, and donated ‘Bilevel Positive Airway Pressure’ or BiPAP Breathing Machines, often used in the treatment of chronic obstructive lung and respiratory diseases that make breathing difficult. The Foundation is also one of the first responders to the COVID-19 crisis in the country and converted their Narayanganj hospital to a COVID-19 hospital to support the government. Under this partnership, along with medical equipment, Unilever Bangladesh will provide a cash donation of Tk 2 million, health and hygiene products for the foundation’s COVID-19 hospital and care kits for more than 2,000 frontline health workers. During this event, Head of Corporate Affairs, Partnerships & Communications of Unilever Bangladesh Shamima Akhter handed over the BiPAP Breathing Machines and COVID-19 testing kits to Senior Director, Development Programs of SAJIDA Foundation Md Fazlul Hoque. Earlier this month, UBL also handed over COVID-19 testing kits to icddr,b, who has been contributing to the plans and actions of the government in its COVID-19 response through providing free of charge testing support, disease surveillance, strengthening of laboratory capacity, and technical assistance among others. Unilever Bangladesh has decided to import critical medical equipment like testing kits and BiPAP Breathing Machines as Bangladesh is witnessing a national health crisis greatly triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of now Unilever Bangladesh has invested Tk 18 million for medical equipment and donated Tk 11 million to two hospitals to improve the health infrastructure. CEO and Managing Director of UBL Kedar Lele said, “We are committed to protect life and livelihoods of people and support the nation in every way possible. Given our global scale and reach, we could quickly bring in much needed medical equipment like testing kits and breathing equipment into Bangladesh and provide it to organizations like SAJIDA Foundation and icddr,b. "We believe this small, yet timely support will help to continue such reputed organisations in their effort to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope to do more in every possible way and remain the trusted partner for Bangladesh.”