Greater Toronto's Top Employers (2025) Magazine - Flipbook - Page 144
144
( 2025 )
SPONSOR CONTENT
Purpose is part of the package at Unilever Canada
N
icole Bloom’s mission
in life is neatly summed
up by her surname: she
wants to be the light
that helps others grow and bloom.
It was a realization arrived at in
a perhaps unexpected place – a
two-day training session made
available by her employer,
Unilever Canada.
Bloom, a category and shopper
insights manager, recalls the
session as “one of my favourite
trainings I’ve ever taken.”
Employees from across Unilever
were brought together for a series
of “vulnerable” conversations to
unearth what motivates them and
what they want to do in the world.
For Bloom, the session prompted her to get more involved in
the company’s business resource
groups, have regular coffee chats
with interns, become a mentor
and join the group of Unilever employees who attend university and
college career fairs. Her goal at
the company is to become a senior
manager who can be a supportive
force for those on her team.
“Obviously there are times
when your career isn’t 100 per
cent aligned with your purpose,
but Unilever does try to find ways
to help us live our purposes,” she
says.
The Canadian division of
the consumer packaged goods
behemoth is known for a host
of mission-driven brands: from
Dove’s drive to support young
people’s self-esteem and combat
social media influence on body
image to Hellmann’s commitment
to help consumers reduce their
food waste.
That ethos extends to Unilever’s
corporate culture, says Martin
Payant, Unilever’s vice-president
and chief customer officer. Payant
began his career at Unilever 26
years ago and says the “strong
sense of community” and mission
is what has kept him at the
company.
“The young people coming in
these days want to change the
world, and we want to be the place
they can do that,” he says. “If your
purpose is to help a charitable
foundation and they have a meeting on a Wednesday afternoon, it’s
totally fine to leave the office and
go do that.”
Payant took the purpose
workshop as well. In addition to
considering what motivated him,
he says the sessions have another
unexpected benefit. “We learn
about each other too.
“The young people coming in
these days want to change
the world, and we want to be
the place they can do that.”
— Martin Payant
Vice-President,
Chief Customer Officer
Employees at Unilever Canada are encouraged to find what motivates them at the organization’s annual
Growth Summit.
By sharing those parts of our lives,
when someone needs to leave
the office we understand why,”
he says. “It helped us understand
each other better.”
His own mission is evolving:
initially, he says, he wanted to
bring his natural passion and
energy to leading his team. After
recovering from cancer, some of
his focus is now on giving back
by holding a board seat at a local
cancer research institute.
