Unilever Internship

After an incredibly quick turnaround from my internship to my return to St Andrews for my final year, I am finally getting a chance to reflect on a fantastic summer with Unilever.

The recruitment process for Unilever’s internships, like most, was quite long but filled with opportunities to meet some incredibly talented, like-minded individuals. The onboarding process at Unilever was simply fantastic, with an overnight stay at a hotel giving all the interns an opportunity to get to know each other before the first day. Even before this, a site visit to Port Sunlight also allowed me to view the products being made and to meet other interns who would be based across the country. This made it feel much less daunting and allowed everyone to make friends ahead of starting.

I was placed with Surf, one of the UK’s leading laundry brands and was fortunate enough to have Rachel Greene as my line manager who could not have been more invested in my learning or overall Unilever experience. Having told her early on that I thrive in a busy atmosphere, I was certainly put to work, getting involved in a wide variety of projects and meeting lots of people from different departments and sites within the business.

Rachel was fantastic in giving me real responsibility and trusting me to deliver on key projects within the Surf portfolio. I was able to act as a ‘mini brand manager’ by being given a product to analyse, conduct market research on and make in-depth recommendations which were listened to and acted upon. I was able to point out numerous advantages I believed the product had, identifying new channels and possibilities which may not have previously been considered. As part of this I gained my Kantar and Nielsen training which was a fantastic way to learn more about the wider Homecare market.

I became the project lead on the Surf artwork changes, undertaking my BLUE artwork training and learning the process of changing artworks. This led to me overseeing the change of 16+ artworks in just over 8 weeks – a steep learning curve, but an interesting challenge, nonetheless.

Upon my arrival, the Surf team were one week away from a huge marketing campaign, which made it an incredibly exciting time to join the team. Within my first week I was helping with the final touches for a launch party, having cocktails with Dani Dyer and watching TV adverts be launched for the first time.

As the campaign continued, I was able to organise the instore support, including a sampling campaign, coupon creation and scoped out the possibilities for numerous other options. This task in particular took me on my steepest learning curve as I became aware of the need to manage certain stakeholders in the process differently to others to ensure everything ran according to the timelines. I also had to think on my feet on numerous occasions and act quickly to alter plans or think of a new strategy.

Mid-way through the internship I was also asked to help coordinate the Homecare internal brand cascade. I was able to run with my creativity and plan the set up of the event, creating ‘rooms in a house’ for each of the brands. I met with each of the brand manager to show them my vision and gain their input. The cascade was successfully delivered to double the expected number of Unilever staff members and I was able to coordinate a plan to allow it to be delivered in external brand cascades.

One of the things I specifically asked to work on was the Purpose project of Surf. Unilever as a company are passionate about giving back and making a difference, one of the reasons I was first drawn to the company. Surf has committed to donating 250,000 washes to the Trussell Trust, a network of foodbanks across the UK, to spread the positivity and good feeling of having clean smelling clothes. I was asked to find the most efficient and effective way for the foodbanks to receive these products. I worked alongside the organisation to understand their needs before creating numerous options which were adapted over time and after a trial run, to accommodate their systems. By the end of the internship I had created a fully scheduled and planned process which required minimal administrative hours from both parties to ensure the 250,000 washes could be donated to the people who needed them most.

Whilst my achievements and packed days at Unilever are the tangible outcomes of a busy summer, some of my fondest memories will be the things absent from my CV. The incredible group of interns who I got to spend this summer with were (one of many) highlights of the twelve weeks. I organised regular socials including Top Golf, Aqua Park, Dinners and Junkyard Golf which allowed us to get to know each other past having lunch every day together. This created a great community which we could share ideas and experiences with. It was especially nice to have two fellow interns to sit alongside in Homecare who were as equally lovely as they were talented. Katie, Monty and I were able to sound ideas off each other, get instant help and advice and experience a Homecare internship as a three. I have no doubt that all the intern friends I have made this summer will go on to be so successful and that we will stay in touch in the years to come.

One of the other standout memories of Unilever will be the culture of the company. The after-work mixed netball league organised by the company was an amazing way to have fun with your team and get to know other departments within the organisation. Homecare came third in a very competitive tournament, beating out the ‘SWOOP’ team (Sainsburys, Waitrose and Co-op) in the 3rd – 4th playoff.

A huge thank you to everyone in the Unilever Homecare team who welcomed me with open arms and created such an open culture where my opinion was just as accepted as any other member’s. Thank you to the interns who became my family for the summer and were always there with a hug, listening ear, or helping hand. Finally thank you to my Surf dream team – Rachel, Saina and Phoebe – who were just that: the dream team.

A photo from Wootten House where the Unilever Induction was held.

Holding the Perf with Surf campaign headerboards ready for the launch party.

Enjoying some pizza ahead of the launch party for our Perf with Surf campaign with Dani Dyer.

The Homecare mixed netball team at the finals day.

Hosting a girls' night potluck dinner with fellow interns.

Junkyard Golf in London with some of the other interns after work.

At the End of Summer Placement Dinner which was 'Iconic Characters' themed.

Monty, Katie and I on our last day in the office together.