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to the challengeJob opportunities for all functions in Corporate Audit

“ Apart from providing an excellent training in business, which I still find valuable to this day, my abiding recollection of Audit is the fun and camaraderie which came from working closely with colleagues from many countries and many functions – it was Unilever team working at its best!” Jeffrey Allgrove, SVP Global Transformation

“ Corporate Audit plays a key role as a challenging partner in ensuring the very highest standards of corporate governance are adhered to by management.” Patrick Cescau, Group Chief Executive

“ Unilever’s Corporate Audit function provides the Executive and the Board with quality assurance across all areas of the business which is much broader than I have experienced in my previous roles. I am impressed with the quality of their work and insights they bring, as well as their dedication to the development of their managers.” Jim Lawrence, Chief Financial Officer

Over the past few years, the rOle Of

Corporate Audit has evolved from one primarily

focused on checking financial controls to one

where we provide broad-based reassurance to

the Board and the Audit Committee that risks

are properly identified, assessed and mitigated

throughout Unilever.

This means that Corporate Audit conducts reviews

not just in finance, but also across many other

strategically important areas of Unilever. In recent

years, we have conducted reviews in the areas

of customer management, brand development

and innovation, supply chain, implementation

of corporate policies and major business change

projects including Mountain/Sirius in Europe

and the global HRT programme. And one of the

most rewarding aspects of what we do is to see

our recommendations being implemented in the

business, and to see real tangible benefits accruing

to Unilever as a result.

Producing meaningful and insightful

recommendations requires managers with

expertise in these functions and this means that

we need managers with a proven track-record in

Customer Development, Marketing, Supply Chain,

R&D, HR and IT, as well as Finance, to join our

Audit teams around the world.

Many of you may only have had a fleeting

encounter with Corporate Audit – if at all – in

your careers to date. It is to you this booklet is

primarily aimed. It explains Corporate Audit’s

role and approach, how Audit relates to the

businesses that we visit, and how a 2-3 year

posting to Audit can be a really valuable part

of your personal management development. It

isn’t for everyone – the travel commitments in

particular are demanding – but it is worthwhile.

To quote a former Unilever Chairman: “Time in

Audit provides a crash course in business”.

Over many years in Unilever I have benefited

from a great deal of advice and guidance from

Corporate Audit. In turn I have always worked

hard to encourage our best people to spend some

time in Audit as I have recognised the benefit this

gives to the business in addition to the personal

development for the individual. Personally I

benefited from time spent in Audit early in my

career and I have no doubt this has contributed

to my own personal development over the years

and the confidence it gave me to take on many

challenging positions in the company.

I hope you enjoy reading the brochure, and if you

are interested in finding out more please make

contact through your line manager or the Audit

leadership in your region.

Happy reading!

Alan JohnsonChief Auditor

Welcome to the Unilever Corporate Audit recruitment brochure

I have always worked hard to encourage our best people to spend some time in Audit as I have recognised the benefit this gives to the business in addition to the personal development for the individual

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Tenwhy audit is good for your career

reasons

Unilever: Guide to Corporate Audit

1 Personal development Audit provides an unrivalled opportunity for personal development. Our auditors return to the business with sharpened analytical skills, enhanced core competencies, stronger knowledge of risk management and a greatly enhanced business understanding.

2 Exposure to Senior ManagementThe audit process involves frequent contact with senior management, providing an unrivalled opportunity to learn from and interact with some of the most experienced managers in Unilever. It also gives you the chance to expand your business network more widely.

3 Working in international teamsMixing the very best people from across the globe and across all functions forges a great team spirit which underpins everything that we do.

4 Cross-functional understandingBecause we cover every market, company, function and category that Unilever operates in, Audit provides an opportunity to broaden your understanding of our company, its products, processes and customers.

5 Functional understanding in depthBecause we audit all business processes, Audit provides the opportunity to deepen your understanding of the way your ‘home’ function works across the globe and the interactions it has with the other business areas.

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Time away from home Travel might broaden the mind, but for some people there is no place like home. Auditors have to be happy with extensive travel that can mean weekends away from home in some regions.

Working in different teams Every audit involves a different team in a different environment. You have to be able to integrate quickly into new teams to make sure the audits proceed efficiently and make sure the job gets done.

Analytical mindsetOur reports are based on analysis of data, structured interviews and background reading. Auditors need to be able to digest information quickly, analyse it in a number of different ways and draw insightful conclusions, even if that means challenging the status quo.

Tough feedbackSometimes our audit reports involve giving tough opinions. Presenting unpopular recommendations to senior management can be challenging but it is integral to delivering our independent opinion.

Time managementAudit fieldwork can be intensive, especially when following a line of enquiry which requires delving into past files and records. Yet our audits are finite in length and need to be completed on time, so you have to manage your schedule carefully.

a few reasons why audit may not be for you...

6 TravelEvery year we audit about 80 units across the globe, visiting more than 50 countries. Audit gives you the opportunity to travel across continents and be part of truly diverse multinational and multicultural teams.

The audit process involves regular contact with senior management, providing an unrivalledopportunity to interact with some of the most experienced managers in Unilever

9 Personal integrity The Code of Business Principles is scoped in all our unit audits, so auditors quickly become experts in the Code and how it should be implemented. As a core part of Unilever’s governance, this will give you a good foundation as you progress through more senior levels of management.

10 Our Independence Our independence guarantees the integrity of our work, which is based on an objective and unbiased view of the facts. The Chief Auditor reports directly to the Group Chief Executive and to the Chairman of the Audit Committee, which comprises 4 non-executive directors of the Board. This allows you and the audit teams to exercise your judgement without undue pressure.

7 Adding real valueWe aim to identify potential good business practices during our audits, and then share them whenever we visit companies across the world. We also share the best practices with the functional academies. This is well received by the companies audited and helps share knowledge throughout Unilever.

8 Rigorous methodologyWe use a well-defined methodology to conduct our audits, which ensures our audit process is consistently applied across the globe. Many of the techniques and processes that we adopt will be useful when you return to your operating companies.

Nancy Sullivan, USA Audit Manager Customer Development Americas

we’re lOOking fOr peOple frOm all functions and regions across Unilever. But while

our teams and people come from many different

cultures, countries and career paths, there are

some things that all successful candidates have

in common.

SO WHAT IS IT YOU NEED TO HAVE?

Experience: You’ll be an ambitious manager with typically

6 to 8 years’ work experience and at least two

management jobs under your belt. You’ll have

a good track-record in your operating company,

and a proven record of delivering top-quality work

as part of a team.

You’ll be able to demonstrate an ability to analyse

a situation or process, usually but not always

in your field of expertise, to work out what is

being done well and what could be done better.

You then need the self-confidence to propose a

solution and the personal ability to get others to

buy in to it.

Standards of Leadership: We look for visible progress in the following

Standards of Leadership:

Global Mindset

Real Accountability

Action Not Debate

Team Alignment

Evidence of Strategic Influencing and

Organisational Awareness are also helpful.

Functional background: A proven record of achievement in any business

function: Brand Building, Brand Development,

R&D, Customer Development, Finance, Supply

Chain, HR, Legal, Communications and IT.

General skills: Fact-based decision making

Proven analytical skills – the ability to draw

conclusions from complex information

Well developed function-specific skills according

to your professional background.

Personal: Professional attitude

Inquisitiveness

Self-confident integrity

Courage

Resilience

Languages: Excellent spoken and written English.

Other languages are an advantage and,

depending on the region, may be a prerequisite.


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Makingthe gradeNow you know a little about what Corporate Audit could do for you. But what about the people that we’re looking for?

The audit process involves regular contact with senior management, providing an unrivalled opportunity to interact with some of the most experienced managers in Unilever

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From left to right

Caroline wullrich, swedenAudit Director Finance Americas

bernie Conyers, usaAudit Manager Supply Chain Americas


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From left to right

mennat allah sharkas, egyptAudit Manager Customer Development AsiaAMET

banjo Castillo, PhilippinesAudit Manager Customer Development AsiaAMET

Veronica rubio, mexicoAudit Manager Finance Americas

The Audit Plan We adopt a two-step approach to defining our

audit plan. The aim is to identify the major risks

facing Unilever, and by analysing this to define

the areas Audit will focus on in the next

12-18 months.

The first step is to review the risks for each

function in the business. We hold ‘knowledge

network’ meetings where auditors with a

background in each function meet with the

leadership of that function. “The aim is to get a

real in-depth understanding of the risks and issues

facing – say – HR,” says Ajay Adlakha, Audit

Director for the HR knowledge network. We then

prioritise the risks to create a shortlist of potential

areas for Audit to review in the following year.

The Audit Leadership Group then chooses

typically 3 or 4 themes to review in depth. In

recent years Audit has undertaken reviews of

Innovation Management, Pricing Excellence, S&OP

and Customer Service Excellence.

The second step is the ‘Unit Risk Profiling’, or URP,

exercise. All business units – countries, MCOs,

categories, pension funds, corporate centre

departments and major projects – are assessed by

the entire regional/category team and assigned

a ‘risk rating’. Those with the highest ratings are

proposed for an audit visit in the following year.

“You have to take inputs from many different

sources,” said Adrian Litmanovich, VP of Audit

in the Americas. “We talk to the leadership of

the units. We look at how the business unit has

performed, whether it regularly hits its plan, the

stability of management and whether change

projects have been implemented well. We also

look at the external environment – is the trade

consolidating, for example, or has the economy

had an impact on the business. The more robust

the URP, the more robust our Audit plan.”

By September, the two steps are merged together

into the Annual Audit Plan, which is agreed

with the Unilever Executive and approved by the

Audit Committee in October. This is the starting

point for preparing detailed plans which define

which auditors will visit which units and when.

In a rapidly changing environment it’s important

to be flexible, so the regional plans are updated

throughout the year.

The initial visitThe audit process starts with the Audit Director

taking one or two members of the team to

visit the unit to interview senior management

and carry out some basic testing – the Unit Risk

Assessment. Based on the outcome of these

discussions and tests, we define the detailed

scope for the audit, agree this with management

and issue the Audit Scope Document. This is

all done 6-8 weeks before the formal audit

fieldwork starts.

The actual Audit – described as ‘fieldwork’

– usually takes from three to four weeks, most

of which will be based in the unit’s headquarters

with the team staying in the same hotel and

spending most evenings together as a group. In

Europe it’s possible for Auditors to go home at the

weekend, but in Asia, Africa and the Americas this

is not always practical.

The Annual Audit Plan is the starting point for preparing plans which detail which auditors will visit which units and when. In a rapidly changing environment it’s important to be flexible, so the regional plans are updated throughout the year

“ You don’t simply follow a checklist and tick the boxes”Current and former team members reveal what it’s really like to work in Corporate Audit

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From left to right

mennat allah sharkas, egyptAudit Manager Customer Development AsiaAMET

banjo Castillo, PhilippinesAudit Manager Customer Development AsiaAMET

Veronica rubio, mexicoAudit Manager Finance Americas

This lifestyle suits those who like to experience

new cultures and absorb different working

environments. Nicolas Cochet, an Audit Manager

in Europe, said: “I’ve seen Carmen at the Opera

House in Budapest, a pop concert in Prague and

football league matches in other European cities;

for me the chance to travel has been fantastic.”

In the fieldAt the start of the fieldwork, the processes to be

covered will be allocated to different members

of the team to ensure the right mix of expertise.

Some will work in areas they are familiar with;

others will be developing themselves in new areas.

This opportunity for personal development is,

for many, the prime motivation for joining Audit.

David Addesse, an Auditor Manager in the

Americas, said: “This is what really makes the job

interesting. It gives you opportunities you wouldn’t

get in any other part of the business.” Ideally, you

will start by auditing an area within your expertise,

but if you want to acquire new skills you need to

put yourself forward.

Auditors begin by identifying from the meetings

with the local managers what information they

will need to do the Audit. “These interviews can

be quite challenging but they are a two-way

process for us to understand from management

what controls are in place and how they are

expected to work,” said Banjo Castillo, Audit

Manager in Asia.

Auditors then analyse the data over several weeks.

But there’s no danger that you’ll be cut loose

and left to drift. A buddying system ensures that

newcomers are coached by experienced members

of the team for at least their first two audits.

“You work very closely within your team. Your

colleagues with more experience in Audit help

direct you,” said Claire Connolly, an Audit

Manager in Europe. “Within the team there will

usually be a specialist from each area and there is

a constant exchange of knowledge.”

Auditors also have Audit Guides to help structure

the analysis and ensure consistency across the

globe. These contain lists of questions and testing

regimes to ensure that all the risks in the area

being audited are covered. “But you don’t simply

follow a checklist and tick the boxes,” said CM

Murugunand, an Audit Manager in Asia. “You will

have to present your opinions to the management

and you can only persuade them to accept those

opinions if you can demonstrate you know what

you are talking about.”

Findings and RecommendationsFindings are documented in working papers

and discussed by the whole audit team before

being presented to the management. If you have

unearthed potential weaknesses in the business,

your role as Auditor will be to convince the

management that there is a problem and get

them to accept your recommendations.

“Sometimes these discussions go very well and

are finished in less than an hour, but I have been

to some that have lasted for many hours,” said

Waqar Kazi, Audit Director in Africa/Middle East.

One of the most rewarding aspects of Audit is

when you find an example of good practice.

“It’s usually quite obvious,” said Gerry Hepburn,

“and you usually think ‘Wow, this is a great

example.’ When we find good practices, we

highlight them and pass them on to the functional

Academy to share globally. We also take

responsibility for sharing them with management

at subsequent audits.”

At the close of the audit, the unit commits to

implementing the team’s recommendations

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You need to develop a deep understanding of the business, because you will have to present your opinions to the management and you can only persuade them to accept those opinions if you can demonstrate you know what you are talking about


an oPPortunity for you to go far

Travel is a fundamental part of life for our Auditors, who can spend up to 70 per cent of their time away from home, providing both opportunities and challenges for our teams. Business travel isn’t always glamorous: the reality can involve working long hours in demanding environments, and extended periods away from friends and family. But the chance to experience new cultures is a valuable part of the development path that a role in Audit offers. And because every member of an Audit team is in the same situation, a strong team spirit unites individuals drawn from different backgrounds with different areas of expertise. “Because we are all foreign to the country we’re in, we quickly develop a bond,” said Sandrine Conseiller, Audit Director Marketing AsiaAMET. “You become friends rather than colleagues ... it’s been one of the best experiences of my Unilever career.” The ability to adapt quickly is another key skill for a successful Auditor. “Every month you are working in a different country with a different company with different cultures,” explained Audit Manager Vladimir Badic. “It’s really diverse. Seeing so many companies being managed in different ways has been demanding but very rewarding.”

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within an agreed timeframe. In exceptional

circumstances, urgent remedial action will be

agreed with management. “It’s sometimes a

challenge to get agreement from managers on

how their business is going to progress into the

future,” said Stokes Moore, former Audit Director

in North America. “Every month you’re trying to

sell a different solution to a different management

team and it is rewarding to gain their commitment

to recommendations that will help their business.”

Presenting the results The last part of the process is to agree an overall

audit opinion for the unit. Most units come out

“satisfactory”, which indicates that their processes

are at an acceptable standard and well controlled.

Delivering a “seriously deficient” opinion can be

tough, but it will usually be accepted if it is well

presented, says Stuart Hill, Audit Manager for

Europe: “If you have well-documented facts to

support your findings it will be easier to justify

the opinion to management. It all depends on

your material.”

Six months after the Audit, the unit head must

report back through their Regional or Category

Line on progress made in implementing the

agreed actions. “When you see that you have

helped to effect a change for the better, it gives

you a big sense of satisfaction,” said Peter Vinnai,

Audit Manager for Europe. “In a big company you

might feel your opinion doesn’t count but being

in Corporate Audit is an opportunity to get your

voice heard.”

From left to right

dunke afe, nigeria Audit ManagerMarketing Europe

simone Casaglia, italy Audit Manager Finance Europe

I thought Corporate Audit is just for people who work in finance?Absolutely not! Auditing financial reports and

accounts is the responsibility of our external

auditors, PwC. Corporate Audit provides

independent reassurance that ALL risks are being

properly identified and managed across the whole

of Unilever. To give a few examples, over the past

few years we have reviewed (amongst others)

Innovation, Pricing, Third Party manufacturing,

HR Transformation, Supply Management and

Trade Terms Management. So we’re looking for

talented individuals from all functions and regions

to help us do the job.

I heard that Audit’s all about bureaucracy, rules and policies – isn’t the work boring?Like any business function, a well-defined

methodology helps us to guarantee the

consistency and quality of our work. Risk

management in its broadest sense doesn’t

mean not taking risks – merely that the risks

Unilever chooses to take are properly assessed,

understood and controlled. This requires a first-

class understanding of each functional area – be

it finance, marketing, IT, HR, etc. – after which we

hold discussions with the functional teams at all

levels of management. It’s definitely not boring!

The inside

As the “internal police” of Unilever, don’t you face a lot of resistance from local management?First of all - we’re not the internal police! It’s not

our role to investigate or to catch people out,

and we don’t work for the management. We’re

there to help local management do their jobs

more effectively and efficiently by offering an

independent, fact-based analysis of their processes

and practices, offering recommendations and

sharing best practice that we’ve found elsewhere.

And the standards and policies against which

we’re auditing are set and agreed by the business,

not by Audit.

What should I do if my line manager doesn’t see Audit as a valuable career step for me?We hope that this booklet goes some way to

explaining the valuable development opportunities

a role in Audit brings to managers from all

functions in Unilever. If you’d like to know more,

we’d be pleased to meet you and your manager

for a personal chat to see how a posting to Audit

can help you in your management development.

The skills and experience you gain during Audit will be well recognised and most auditors get offered a bigger role offering greater responsibility than the one they left behind

KnowledgeGot lots of questions? Here are some answers to the ones we get asked most frequently


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How much time would I be away from home?Travel is a fundamental part of life as an auditor.

The exact balance depends on the region you work

in, but on average you might expect to spend

between 50 and 70 per cent of your work time on

the road. We take work-life balance seriously and

help you develop techniques for managing your

time with the least disruption while delivering the

requirements of the job.

Will I have to move house to be based near my local Corporate Audit office?There’s no one answer that fits all countries and

regions. It doesn’t always make sense to move

your family – especially if it’s easy to travel home at

weekends. But if you are permanently based in a new

country or region, then it may make sense for your

family to move with you. We aim to provide as much

flexibility as possible for auditors to work from home,

using the latest technology, or from your nearest

company office.

What happens after my role in Audit is over?It’s important that your posting to Audit is

recognised as a valuable part of your overall personal

development, so we discuss this with you and your

line manager before you join, which means that a

re-entry after two or three years is already in the

company’s forward HR planning. We encourage you

to maintain contact with your home company, and

as the time to return approaches we will discuss

with you and your company to agree the timing of

the move. The skills and experience you gain during

Audit will be well recognised and the vast majority

of auditors get offered a bigger role offering greater

responsibility than the one they left behind. In

fact, you may have more than one job offer from a

number of sources!

In the first instance, find out more from your line

manager or local Finance Director, or check out

our portal: i.unilever.com/audit.

You might also find it useful to arrange an

informal chat with an auditor, or someone who

used to work in Audit – you’ll be surprised how

many senior managers in Unilever have had an

Audit role in their past. Your HR department will

help you find someone to talk to.

If you have any specific questions, you can contact

the HR Business Partner for Corporate Audit in

London.

You should also keep an eye out for Open

Job Postings – there are usually a couple of

opportunities being advertised in Corporate Audit

at any one time.

And finally, as with any job opportunity, please

keep your line manager and local HR department

informed of your intentions, as a move into

Audit must be an integral part of an agreed

development plan.

Good luck!

So what happens next?

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Is there such a thing as a standard day in audit?There are certainly things about my days that are

common but also things that are wildly different.

Waking up in a hotel is a fairly consistent theme,

but as for which hotel and which city … in the last

12 months alone I’ve woken up in Paris, Brussels,

Sydney, Mumbai, Budapest, Hamburg, Durban,

Rotterdam and Rome, which is variety that you

either love or hate. I love it.

So what is the biggest challenge you’ve faced?For me it’s finding an everyday routine whilst

being away from home. After piling on the kilos in

my first few audits, I’ve managed to develop

the mental discipline to avoid cooked breakfasts

and eating any meals on planes for that matter.

They just seem to become extra meals in the day

rather than substituting for what I would have

eaten anyway.

I hear that there’s a lot of camaraderie in Audit.My team mates inevitably end up having a laugh

and a joke over lunch (and breakfast, dinner…), or

hotly debating any one of a number of topics such

as what Unilever needs to do better in the future

to be more competitive. I’m sure you’ll hear from

many who’ve been through Audit talk about the

team ethic, but it really is true and because you

spend so much time away from friends and loved

ones, you do rely on your colleagues at a number

of levels.

Are there other upsides?I’ve never had a job before that has given me such

variety of experience and such an overview of

the business. I’ve audited corporate governance,

marketing, customer management, pensions, tax,

finance, innovation effectiveness, HRT, people

management and Foodsolutions. Seeing both

good and bad examples of business processes will

make me a better manager when I face similar

problems in future roles. Possibly the biggest

positive is the opportunity to be part of a great

multinational team. I also love the travel and I

try to spend at least one weekend in the audit

location and have had some truly memorable

experiences, such as visiting the Taj Mahal.

How much real responsibility do you get at audits?As a more experienced member of the

team I have performed the role of a ‘buddy’

which helps bring new joiners up to speed on

the area they’re auditing and the audit process.

This is a great people development opportunity

which helps compensate for having no formal

line management responsibilities. The other

key role is that of Team Leader, where you’re

responsible for maintaining the relationship with

management and delivering the outputs of the

audit on time in full. As Team Leader you are

also responsible for coaching, supporting and

challenging the team.

So to finish, what has been your best day in Audit, from a professional perspective?I’ve had many great days but the best would have

to be issuing the final report for the 2007 global

review of Innovation Management. It was the

culmination of a year’s work across the global

audit team and I felt the recommendations we

made will really make a difference to the quality

of Unilever’s innovation process.

Introducing...

Stuart Hill


We grill a current team member about his time as an Auditor

I’ve never had a job before that has given me such variety of experience and such an overview of the business

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“ As Chair of the Audit Committee I am primarily concerned that controls in financial reporting are robust and that risk management across the business is effective. In a company such as Unilever, controls in the operational processes, such as supply chain, marketing, HR and customer development, are equally important as these processes underpin our competitiveness and thus secure future profitable growth. In my experience the breadth of Corporate Audit’s work is almost unique amongst internal audit departments, and is something I value greatly.” Kees Storm, Chairman of Audit Committee

“ With a career in finance, I have always regretted not having passed through Corporate Audit. It is clear to me that having an opportunity to peep in so many different kitchens so early in your career must make you into a better chef!” Frank Braeken, Group Vice President, China Group

“ It’s a real opportunity to exert influence with senior management that you wouldn’t otherwise have.” Mark Smith, SVP Finance, Asia/AMET

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