Unilever

M. Scott Whitson

Sara Gonzalez

Operational Excellence for personal care

Sara Gonzalez has a new hobby. Ever since starting her fulltime position at Unilever, when Gonzalez is in a grocery store or pharmacy, she’ll make a point to stroll down the personal care aisle and admire and adjust the products she’s helped create, such as Axe body spray, Degree deodorant, Suave hair care, and Vaseline. Starting in college, Gonzalez respected Unilever’s line of products, and she continues to take pride in the brands she works on every day.

How did you first become interested in supply chain management?
I’ve always been a technical person—I always want to know what makes things function and tick, and I’m very detailoriented. The more I learned about supply chain management, the more I realized it matched my interests. I’m always learning something new within my roles, and knowing how something ticks enables me to make better and more efficient decisions.

Even though I wasn’t a supply chain major in college, my major and technical aptitude made me a perfect fit for working in planning and manufacturing: You get to see how products are made, how machines work, and how processes are executed. You probably never think about how a bottle of shampoo is made, but it’s a lot more interesting than you’d think! There are a lot of pieces that fit into the supply chain puzzle, and I think it’s pretty neat that all of our different departments can coordinate these processes and get that bottle of shampoo on the shelf.

How did you hear about the job at Unilever?
I heard about the job at a career fair. The company was hiring for six-month supply chain co-op roles, and I liked the idea of getting professional experience while I was still at school. It gave me a trial period with the company to see if Unilever was right for me. The company ended up being a great fit, and after my co-op I applied for a full-time position at Unilever within their Supply Chain Management Program, a three and a half year rotational program. I was hired into the program, and after graduation I started as a material planner for our hair and deodorant brands.

What’s the most fun thing you’ve done since starting this job?
Being able to work at a production facility. At a plant, you physically see the product and brand come to life. When I was a manufacturing supervisor, I got to see Ragu and Bertolli pasta sauces created from start to finish in my plant. It’s fast-paced and exciting—when you’re faced with a challenge, you’re right there, hands on, tackling it, and you have the opportunity to see immediate results.

What is the most difficult part of your job?
I’m a very hands-on person, and when I’m managing a project or production schedule in a different state or country, if a problem arises, I cannot physically be there to help my team overcome that obstacle. Unilever has a large supply chain all across the world, and you cannot always be there to troubleshoot. Although I’m not there, I learn a lot about myself and my team while working together to anticipate those challenges, making the best possible decisions and executing them. I would have to say the most difficult part of my job has taught me the most: teamwork, communication, and commitment to excellence.