In this episode of Retail Disrupted, Natalie Berg sits down with Matt Close, a 30-year Unilever veteran who proved that building a "happiness culture" isn't just nice to have — it’s a massive growth engine.
🤝 This episode is brought to you by The Richmond Retail & eCommerce Directors’ Forum, where Matt will be hosting a session on how to create a people-first culture. Retailers: register your interest here: https://www.richmondevents.com/contact/request?Item=DelegateInvite&EventCode=RET26
Matt served on Unilever’s Executive Committee and led the €8B Global Ice Cream business for 8 years. During his tenure, he added €3B in growth by taking an end-to-end approach to transforming value creation. His secret weapon? Building what he calls a ‘happiness company’.
In this episode, we explore:
• The literal business case for happiness: How it drives risk-taking and entrepreneurship.
• Why culture matters just as much in the factory as it does in the boardroom.
• Leadership lessons from 3 decades at one of Britain’s biggest listed companies.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 - Intro
00:42 - Natalie’s Introduction & Setup
01:47 - Matt’s Background: Selling Happiness
03:17 - Unilever's €3 Billion Growth Strategy
06:03 - Why Happy Teams Perform Better
10:06 - The Quick Commerce Revolution
17:34 - Managing Culture Like a Brand
22:15 - Three Pillars of Culture: Care, Connect, Value
28:13 - Handling High Performers with Bad Attitudes
30:00 - Structuring Teams for Breakthrough Growth
About Our Guest:
Matt Close is a 30+ year veteran of Unilever and a former member of their Executive Committee. He believes that happier teams are more motivated and successful, a philosophy he applied to drive billions in growth across Unilever's global ice cream portfolio.
#Unilever #BusinessStrategy #Leadership #RetailDisrupted #CorporateCulture