Paul Polman Quotes

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Paul Polman

Profession : Businessman

Birth : July 11, 1956

At the end of the day, people will follow you or people will be energised by you if they buy into your vision or purpose. So the most important thing is to be true to yourself. That's why I would say to be a great leader - you, first and foremost, have to be a great human being. And sharing that purpose and sharing the values.

Paul Polman

It is our responsibility as businesses to deliver ambitious solutions and technologies to bring us low-carbon, inclusive and sustainable growth.

Paul Polman

If we tackle deforestation in the right way, the benefits will be far-reaching - greater food security, improved livelihoods for millions of small farmers and indigenous people, more prosperous rural economies, and above all, a more stable climate.

Paul Polman

My own fear, if I have one myself, is a fear of being obsolete. This is a world that changes very fast, and one of the main human desires is to belong to, to be part of, something. It's probably one of our greatest needs next to oxygen.

Paul Polman

Businesses and governments need to work together and make a joint commitment if we want to address climate change effectively and quickly.

Paul Polman

Business has a responsibility and opportunity to be the driving force for the advancement of universal human rights.

Paul Polman

The commitment to put an end to illegal deforestation and develop sustainable alternatives for commodities like palm oil and soy, for example, is an inspiring illustration of what can be achieved when governments and industry partners come together determined to bring about transformational market-wide changes.

Paul Polman

It cannot be right in a world of increasing human progress - whether in medicine, space exploration or renewable energy - that so many people are denied the most basic human rights.

Paul Polman

My career has been a level of serendipity all along. I've never planned anything out more than a few years. All the places we lived - the 12, 13 countries - and the companies I worked for were a combination of circumstances.

Paul Polman

I work a lot with blind people in my spare time outside of Unilever, and I count my blessings every day.

Paul Polman

For Unilever, investing in women is an imperative. The business and social cases for doing so are inextricably linked.

Paul Polman

The ideal is a world in which every woman and girl can create the kind of life she wishes to lead, unconstrained by harmful norms and stereotypes.

Paul Polman

As a consumer goods company serving billions of consumers every day, Unilever understands the drivers and motivations that create the norms that lie behind people's behaviour.

Paul Polman

When women are provided with training and entrepreneurial opportunities in distribution networks, they become role models in their communities, showing it is possible to challenge limiting norms and stereotypes, and to succeed.

Paul Polman

Runaway climate change would condemn millions to a life of poverty and cause us to fail to meet the Sustainable Development Goal of eradicating extreme poverty by 2030. This is not an acceptable outcome.

Paul Polman

Africa is a vibrant, varied continent with a growing consumer base.

Paul Polman

Every region in the world faces challenges - and Africa is hugely diverse, so its own challenges are varied.

Paul Polman

Unilever brings together the resources and experience of a multinational company alongside our deep local roots, which enables us to grow a genuinely African consumer goods business.

Paul Polman

My father worked in a tyre factory. My mother worked as a teacher.

Paul Polman

I've always been bothered by systems that don't work for everybody. It doesn't mean we're all equal. I am not naive about that. But we should have a more inclusive society.

Paul Polman