~ Three undergraduates selected to represent Sri Lanka on the global stage

Aqeela Najeeb of the University of Colombo, Nevanka Jayatilleke of the Royal Institute of Colombo, and Merl Chandana of the University of Moratuwa, earned the honour of representing Sri Lanka at Unilever’s Global Future Leaders’ League in London in March 2016.

Impressing the judges with their ability to conceive innovative strategies that got to the heart of the task, they were adjudged the winners of the Unilever Challenge held recently in Colombo. The local leg of Unilever’s Global Future Leaders’ League, the Unilever Challenge is a unique competition that tested the ability of undergraduate students to conceive and implement a brand strategy for world renowned brands, which also contributed towards the Global Goals for Sustainable Growth.

The Future Leaders’ League is a dynamic marketing competition, where aspiring young brand managers get the opportunity to compete against likeminded future leaders from over 30 countries. Through hands-on experience, interacting with world-class experts and discovering Unilever from the inside these future leaders will be exposed to new and innovative ways of thinking, develop professional skills and gain invaluable knowledge of how a leading business works.

“I must take this opportunity to congratulate the winners on their inspiring performance. The high standard of the presentations made this a tough decision to make. The talent that we witnessed at this competition further reaffirms our strong belief that Sri Lanka has a large pool of exceptional talent from which to draw upon as future leaders of our country, and of the world. We look forward to seeing the winners use their ingenuity to make the Sri Lankan flag fly high on the global stage,” said Sameer Nagarajan, Director – Human Resources and Corporate Relations at Unilever Sri Lanka.

The Unilever Challenge is one of many interventions led by Unilever Sri Lanka to develop the undergraduate talent pipeline in Sri Lanka. Having commenced in November 2015, attracting 115 teams, 4 teams were finally picked for the finale and given the opportunity to execute their big idea over a period of one month. Each team represented a brand and growth of these brands were linked to three of the seventeen Global Goals: Signal (good health and well-being), Lifebuoy & Pureit (clean water and sanitation), and Lipton (life on land). These teams then presented their case to a panel of judges from which the winners were then chosen.

About Unilever: Unilever Sri Lanka is one of the biggest FMCG companies in Sri Lanka, with 29 market leading brands in categories such as Home Care, Personal Care and Foods. The Company was established in Sri Lanka in 1938 with brands such as Sunlight, Lux and Pears Rose. Unilever’s corporate purpose is to make sustainable living commonplace. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan sets out to decouple the company’s growth from environmental impact, while increasing its positive social impact. The Plan has three big goals that by 2020 will help improve people’s health and well-being, reduce the company’s environmental footprint, and enhance livelihoods across its value chain. For more information about Unilever, please visit www.unilever.com.lk