Michel Mellis

I am accomplished, high energy International Senior Business Executive with 27 years’ experience working in versatile challenging roles at Unilever across the globe. Until very recently, I was the Global Business Transformation Director at Unilever Food Solutions, where I am responsible for the business transformation agenda of Unilever Food Solutions, including on and off-line integration strategies, new channels and people management change programs. I am Member of the global Unilever Food Solutions board. I joined Unilever in 1996 as management trainee, and I grew along the company ranks mostly in sales and marketing roles, up to becoming General Manager (South Africa and North Latin America). This career progression based on merit is illustrative of my continuous improvement philosophy. Strong acumen in aligning vision and strategy, building teams and organisations that deliver. Proven track record in turning around under-performing companies and strategic business units. In recent years, I also became involved in new ventures, firstly as a mentor to start-up founders, then as angel investor, board member and independent counsellor. The start-ups range from meal solutions (Cheftime meal kits) to SaaS Enterprise (Yapoli DAM solutions), and sustainable petfood (Tibii). The first one has already been sold-out to a major Brazilian retailer, the second one is approaching scale-up stage and the third one is re-organizing its business model. Excellent Management, Business Intelligence and Leadership skills characterised by the establishment of long-term relationships, comprehensive product knowledge, superior client services and stakeholder management skills.