Interview with Unilever Vice Chairman Antony Burgmans

Q. Is there potential for growth for Unilever in the Middle East?

A. Actually, we're doing very well in the Middle East. In a number of important countries, like Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Egypt, we're doing quite well. We're very positive about the outlook for the Middle East.

Q. Do you see greater potential in some countries in the region? If so, where?

A. We see potential across the Middle East. Obviously, it's a prosperous area; however, there is a lot of trouble, of course: the Palestinian struggle and the aftermath of the Iraqi crisis. If these issues can be resolved, I think the whole Middle East will just explode economically. In that respect, we can only hope that these issues can be resolved in due course.

Q. Is Unilever ready to take advantage of this potential?

A. Absolutely. Our infrastructure is in place. We have important companies and important infrastructure in North Africa, in Turkey, in Israel, in Egypt, in Saudi Arabia. We're thinking of going onshore in Iran. So, yes, I think I can say that we're well set.

Q. In the Gulf, Unilever recently decided to manage its own advertising budget and no longer go through an agency. Why was this decision taken?

A. It's a purely economic decision. I don't know all the background of the decision, but I'm sure that our management there thought it was wiser and more efficient to do it this way.

Q. Is this a worldwide trend for the company?

A. I'm not aware of that at all, no. I'm sure that our local management team in the Gulf had very good reasons to do this. But I was personally not involved in the decision. Nevertheless, I can state that I have full confidence that they know what they're doing.

Q. What are the biggest challenges Unilever will face in the future?

A. The biggest challenge for the business as a whole is to make sure that we obtain the license to operate and obtain the space to grow, so that we are successful in free-trade negotiations, that we are successful in avoiding regulation that would inhibit innovation. That is a major challenge for business as a whole.

Q. Could one say that, by having the same brand worldwide, Unilever is a force for globalization?

A. I'd say that we have a balanced approach. We have global brand names, but we also have very local names in a wide range of local markets. The global names give us global reach and global efficiency, and the local names give us local roots. We think that our success depends upon a combination of these two factors. And our approach will stay that way in the future.