<img src="/resources/images/article_assets/hbr/1206/R1206H_POLMAN.jpg"> 
 Fotografía: Jamie-James Medina

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Reprint: R1206H 
When Polman became CEO of the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever, in January 2009, it was his first time in the role of chief executive. That doesn&#8217;t appear to have inhibited him: Since then he has transformed Unilever into one of the world&#8217;s most innovative corporations. In addition to abolishing earnings guidance and quarterly reporting (on day one as CEO), he launched a plan to double corporate revenue by 2020 while simultaneously reducing the company&#8217;s environmental impact by half. These are truly &#8220;audacious objectives,&#8221; he acknowledges. &#8220;Nobody has ever made such a public commitment, and nobody has ever achieved anything like this.&#8221; 
Polman believes that his initiatives build on the company&#8217;s founding values: improving health and hygiene, and otherwise benefiting society. Though &#8220;a capitalist at heart,&#8221; he thinks the system needs fine-tuning&#8212;in part through socially responsible investment. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan not only sets ambitious targets but establishes detailed measures of progress toward them. Doing away with quarterly reporting has allowed the business to be more focused on the long term, and changes in the compensation system support that. 
In this edited interview with HBR&#8217;s editor in chief, Polman talks about taking risks, attracting shareholders who support Unilever&#8217;s strategy (hedge fund investors needn&#8217;t apply), and why consumers are now in charge.

Captain Planet

Reimpresión: R1206H Cuando Polman se convirtió en CEO de la multinacional anglo-holandesa Unilever, en enero de 2009, fue su primera vez en el cargo de director ejecutivo. Eso no parece haberlo inhibido: desde entonces, ha transformado Unilever en una de las empresas más innovadoras del mundo. Además de abolir la guía de beneficios y los informes trimestrales (el primer día como CEO), lanzó un plan para duplicar los ingresos corporativos de aquí a 2020 y, al mismo tiempo, reducir a la mitad el impacto ambiental de la empresa. Estos son realmente «objetivos audaces», reconoce. «Nadie ha asumido nunca un compromiso tan público y nadie ha logrado nunca algo así». Polman cree que sus iniciativas se basan en los valores fundamentales de la empresa: mejorar la salud y la higiene y, de otro modo, beneficiar a la sociedad. Aunque es «un capitalista de corazón», cree que es necesario afinar el sistema, en parte mediante una inversión socialmente responsable. El Plan de Vida Sostenible de Unilever no solo establece objetivos ambiciosos, sino que también establece medidas detalladas del progreso hacia su consecución. Eliminar los informes trimestrales ha permitido a la empresa centrarse más en el largo plazo, y los cambios en el sistema de compensación lo respaldan. En esta entrevista editada con el editor en jefe de HBR, Polman habla sobre la asunción de riesgos, la atracción de accionistas que apoyen la estrategia de Unilever (los inversores en fondos de cobertura no necesitan postularse) y por qué los consumidores están ahora al mando.

Capit&aacute;n Planeta

Reprint: R1206H When Polman became CEO of the Anglo-Dutch multinational Unilever, in January 2009, it was his first time in the role of chief executive. That doesn’t appear to have inhibited him: Since then he has transformed Unilever into one of the world’s most innovative corporations. In addition to abolishing earnings guidance and quarterly reporting (on day one as CEO), he launched a plan to double corporate revenue by 2020 while simultaneously reducing the company’s environmental impact by half. These are truly “audacious objectives,” he acknowledges. “Nobody has ever made such a public commitment, and nobody has ever achieved anything like this.” Polman believes that his initiatives build on the company’s founding values: improving health and hygiene, and otherwise benefiting society. Though “a capitalist at heart,” he thinks the system needs fine-tuning—in part through socially responsible investment. The Unilever Sustainable Living Plan not only sets ambitious targets but establishes detailed measures of progress toward them. Doing away with quarterly reporting has allowed the business to be more focused on the long term, and changes in the compensation system support that. In this edited interview with HBR’s editor in chief, Polman talks about taking risks, attracting shareholders who support Unilever’s strategy (hedge fund investors needn’t apply), and why consumers are now in charge.

Capitán Planeta

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