Funmi Bolarinwa - Nigeria

Profile

"The great thing about my job is that I make a difference to the oral health of people living in poor communities."

Funmi is responsible for marketing oral care products in Nigeria. Based in Lagos, she promotes Close Up toothpaste. "Our strategy is to maintain our market leadership position while improving the oral health of consumers through better products and education."

Promoting better oral health

As Funmi explains, the first step is to make fluoride toothpaste more accessible to a wider range of consumers. To do this, Funmi and her team sell toothpaste in sachets. "Small sachets are cheaper and easy to distribute, making them affordable for people from poor communities. Regular brushing with toothpaste is the first step to improving oral health, and affordable toothpaste enables more people to do this."

The second step is to improve oral health education. "We support primary school programmes that teach children about better oral health. Children are often the main influencers of family behaviour. We work with them so they can go home and tell their families about oral health care."

The third step involves working in partnership with the FDI World Dental Federation. Supported by national dental associations and the FDI, dentists and Unilever employees visit rural communities to offer free dental care. "Away from cities access to health care is costly and difficult. Clinics are far apart so people have to travel long distances to reach them. We provide logistical support, pamphlets and toothpaste to help FDI dentists with their work."

Funmi believes improving oral health is important to the development of the region. "Bad teeth can be a barrier to social interaction. It's about giving people the confidence to break down these barriers, interact with their peers and achieve their potential."

Career success

Funmi joined Unilever in 1991. She worked as a brand and marketing manager for laundry products in Nigeria where she helped make Omo the best selling laundry brand.

In 2005, she moved to oral care. "I work with a great team who have helped me achieve a lot. In 2002 our products were in about 50% of households, by 2007 this had risen to over 80%. We've improved the education packs and reach more consumers in remote communities."

"I am always learning new things, and working with such a diverse range of people who share the same beliefs really inspires me. Not only that, but my work has a direct impact on the lives of others."

Funmi volunteers for an organisation called Sisters Unite for Children. "We work with NGOs to protect children from abuse and neglect, particularly orphans and those with disabilities. We support care homes and contribute to the children's upkeep and education. We make them feel wanted and loved by regularly counselling and mentoring them, and where possible reuniting them with their parents. It's a chance to help their personal development and share what I have learned with Unilever."