Meanwhile, in the UK, William Hesketh Lever founded his company, Lever Brothers, in 1885 and soon established soap factories around the world. In 1917, he began to diversify into foods, acquiring fish, ice cream and canned food businesses.

The Unilever Group came together in 1930 through the merger of Margarine Unie and Lever Brothers. Since then Unilever has operated as one. Although there are still two parent companies, Unilever N.V. and Unilever PLC, they operate as one and are linked by a series of agreements, follow common policies and have the same directors.

How old is Unilever Bangladesh? What businesses do you operate in?
The origin dates back to 1964, when the first Manufacturing Operations were set up as a part of Lever Brothers Pakistan operations. After independence, it was incorporated as a separate Company under the laws of Bangladesh. Later on the Company diversified into different categories.

Our own manufacturing operations are based in Chittagong where we have soap manufacturing unit and a state of the art Personal Product manufacturing plant. Besides, there is a tea packaging operation in Chittagong and three manufacturing units in Dhaka, which are exclusively dedicated to Unilever Bangladesh . We have a wide range of branded products which include:

What type of a Company is Unilever Bangladesh? What is the share split of the Company?
Unilever Bangladesh is a Public Limited Company. The company is registered in Bangladesh with the Government holding 39.25% of shares and the rest owned by the parent company, Unilever.

What is the Company's Objective/ Corporate Purpose?
Our purpose in Unilever is to meet the everyday needs of people everywhere - to anticipate the aspirations of our consumers and customers and to respond creatively and competitively with branded products and services which raise the quality of life.

Our deep roots in local cultures and markets around the world are our unparalleled inheritance and the foundation for our future growth. We will bring our wealth of knowledge and international expertise to the service of local consumers - a truly multi-local multinational company.

Our long-term success requires a total commitment to exceptional standards of performance and productivity, to working together effectively and to a willingness to embrace new ideas and learn continuously.

We believe that to succeed requires the highest standards of corporate behaviour towards our employees, consumers and the societies and world in which we live. This is Unilever's road to sustainable, profitable growth for our business and long-term value creation for our shareholders and employees.

Why has Unilever chosen Vitality as its mission?
Vitality is a word that’s all about life and Unilever plays a role in lives throughout the world. Our brands and operations add to life because we meet a huge range of people’s everyday needs. Our New Mission – Adding Vitality to life is a simple statement, but it carries a lot of power - the power to focus our portfolio, our culture, and our commitments to communities and the environment.

It is reflected in our heritage, it’s true of us now, but it’s also our aspiration, giving us a clear direction for the future and allowing us to focus on new consumer opportunities to grow our brands and our business. Finally, it helps us tell the Unilever story in a way that is relevant and engaging - both for us as employees and for the world outside.

Why did Unilever introduce a new logo?
Our new logo is symbolic of our new vitality mission and is a graphic representation of who we are, what we do and how we do it. Our intention is to make Unilever more visible, by putting our name on all our packs and in all our companies’ names. Our goal is to strengthen Unilever’s business and reputation, so that both we and our brands are better understood and trusted throughout the world. By bringing our identity to the fore and putting the Unilever logo on-pack, we add a degree of transparency and accountability, enabling people to identify the company behind the brands and, ultimately, to make judgements based on that knowledge.

How is Unilever Bangladesh governed?
Unilever Bangladesh is a company established under the laws of Bangladesh and has its own Board of Directors. The Board also has representatives from the government. The day to day affairs are carried out under the supervision and direction of the company's Management Committee.

Where are your products manufactured?
At present nearly all our products are manufactured locally. Our new Personal Product Factory, recently commissioned in Chittagong, speaks of our commitment to manufacture locally. Moreover, our soap factory continues to operate at full blast. We are one of the few companies manufacturing soaps using neutral oils and not noodles, thereby having more value addition in the country.

How are product formulations developed?
While global brands share similar formulation across Unilever companies, the product mixes are developed locally with the expertise from home and abroad and in-depth understanding of the local consumers.