I can now talk confidently about key environmental topics within a business context

Where was your placement and what did it involve?

I carried out my 12-month placement at Unilever. Unilever is an Anglo-Dutch Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Company. Established over 100 years ago, it is one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies and has a business purpose of making sustainability commonplace. 

My role was split between the Global Environment Team in the Sustainability function and the Global Nutrition & Ice Cream Business Groups in the Communications and Corporate Affairs function. This meant I had to manage two different workloads and balance my time correctly between the three teams.

What skills do you feel that you gained from your placement?

During my placement, I developed technical skills (excel work, presentation work, website creation, editing and film-making) as well as internal and external communication skills (hosting meetings, writing newsletters, speaker notes and articles). 

What was the most rewarding part of your placement?

The most rewarding part of my placement is that my corporate sustainability knowledge has grown. I can now talk confidently about key environmental topics within a business context, such as water stewardship, regenerative agriculture, circular economies, nature, biodiversity, energy and climate. Working within such a big organisation also enabled me to travel for work to the Netherlands multiple times and meet lots of interesting people.

What advice would you give to students who are thinking about doing a placement?

My advice to students who are thinking about a placement year is to persevere with your applications and stay resilient through rejections (I faced many rejections before I got the Unilever role!). Lastly, make sure to network as much as you can during your placement as it will help with opportunities after University.