Unilever Taps Faraz Zaidi to Lead Global HR for Operations

Unilever has appointed Faraz Zaidi as Head of HR for Global Customer Operations, a move that could reshape how the consumer goods company delivers its brand portfolio to 3.4 billion people daily.

For marketing leaders, the appointment signals a potential shift in how talent and capability are aligned with customer-facing operations that execute brand strategy at scale.

How HR affects brand delivery

Unilever says Faraz will lead the global people agenda for Customer Operations with a focus on transforming talent and culture.

This function sits at the intersection of brand promise and customer experience, where operational teams execute marketing strategies across international markets and channels.

The role involves working closely with senior management to align talent and capability with Unilever's priorities.

For CMOs, this could mean better integration between people strategy and the teams responsible for delivering brand experiences across touchpoints.

Faraz will oversee the strategic alignment of personnel and structure to handle transformations and maintain operational efficiency.

Brands such as Dove, Knorr and Vaseline rely on Customer Operations to translate marketing positioning into consistent consumer engagement across geographies.

Productivity and brand execution

Faraz has been at Unilever for more than 15 years, and his promotion could indicate a strategy to merge people capability with operational performance in brand delivery.

The company says he will be responsible for ensuring the HR function fuels execution across all international markets and channels.

For marketing leaders, this could affect how quickly brand campaigns move from planning to market activation.

The role involves organisational design that supports productivity in the teams responsible for customer-facing brand interactions.

Faraz will work alongside Graham Sommer and the leadership team in Customer Operations.

Taking to LinkedIn, Faraz says: "Customer Operations is such a critical and fast-moving part of our business, and I'm genuinely excited to work alongside Graham Sommer and the incredible leadership team to support our people, strengthen our culture and continue building an organisation that's ready for what's next."

During his 15 years at Unilever, Faraz has held roles that provided global, regional and country-level experience.

He most recently held the position of HR Director for Global Business Services, leading Unilever's HR team across multiple service lines.

Alignment with brand transformation

Faraz has a track record of leading teams of more than 2,500 employees and managing complex transformation programmes.

He previously served as HR Director across Uniops and NAMET Supply Chain, functions that support the operational delivery of brand strategy.

His expertise spans technology-driven people experiences and organisational restructuring.

He also served as Global Employee Experience Lead, where he was instrumental in scaling employee feedback systems and launching the Experience Lab framework.

Before joining Unilever, Faraz started his career at MCB Bank and IAL Saatchi & Saatchi.

Holding an MBA in HR, his appointment could highlight how Unilever is aligning workforce strategy with transformation in customer-facing operations.

For marketing leaders, this could mean better capability in the teams responsible for delivering brand experiences to consumers.

The appointment places people strategy within a function that affects how brands are delivered to customers, potentially improving marketing execution speed and customer experience consistency.