Meet the Global Marketer of the Year 2021 nominees: Conny Braams, Unilever

Conny is Unilever’s first CDMO, responsible for end-to-end digital transformation, and marketing worldwide, to maximise opportunities for growth. She has held this role since January 2020. Her broad international business experience and her track-record in driving change at scale is critical to lead the transformation of Unilever into a future-fit, purpose-led, fully digitised organisation at the leading edge of consumer marketing. 

Having joined Unilever as a marketing trainee in 1990, Conny has held a variety of local and international Marketing, Customer Development, Communications and General Management roles across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Most recently, Conny was the Executive Vice President, Unilever, Middle Europe and General Manager, Unilever, Benelux where she led the complete digital rewire and marketing transformation of the region.

Externally, Conny has received a number of recognitions, including as one of the World’s Most Influential CMOs by Forbes. Outside of Unilever, she is Deputy President of the World Federation of Advertisers and a member of the Marketing Group of Great Britain. 

Conny has worked and lived in the Netherlands, Singapore and Spain, enjoys travelling and spending time with her two daughters, family and friends.

What are the things she's most proud of this year?

This year, Unilever launched a new approach to marketing ‘Get on the Frontline’ designed to help brands increase brand power and drive growth. It’s based on three principles:

Get Real: Using data and empathy to solve consumer pain points. Conny has strengthened marketing systems, anchoring AI and Machine Learning to get on the frontline of emerging trends and innovate faster, better and bolder.

Do Good: ensuring brands are focused on providing both value and values. Conny is on a mission to make sustainable choices simple and preferred for consumers. She believes brands have an opportunity, and a responsibility, to drive more sustainable behaviours through everyday choices. Unilever also broadened its commitment to #Unstereotype, launching ACT 2 to drive structural changes to the marketing eco-system.

Be Unmissable: Standing out in culture and being effortless to buy. Unilever invested more in areas such as gaming, influencer marketing, entertainment and digital commerce. Anticipating further convergence of media and commerce, Conny has expanded the remit of Unilever’s Digital Hubs to become Digital Marketing and Commerce Hubs, building brands and driving conversion coherently and simultaneously. Last year, Unilever grew digital Commerce by 61%.

Also shortlisted for WFA Global Marketer of the Year 2021 are:

• Andrea Álvares, Chief Brand, Innovation, International and Sustainability Officer, Natura
• Rupen Desai, Global CMO, Dole Sunshine Company
• Cristina Diezhandino, CMO, Diageo
• Julia Goldin, EVP, Chief Product and Marketing Officer, LEGO Group
• Pratik Thakar, Head of Global Creative Strategy and Content, Coca-Cola, TCCC
• Jane Wakely, Lead CMO, Mars, Incorporated