As told to Emma Sandler
I could not say I was born a beauty aficionado. My mother was my first role model and her routine consisted of Dove, Nivea, and Vaseline. As Chief Marketing Officer of Beauty and Wellbeing, Unilever North America, Dove, and Vaseline are in my portfolio today, so I have a special bond with – and responsibility to – these iconic brands that are in so many homes across the U.S. and the world.
Perhaps more important than any exposure to beauty was my mother’s example as a career woman back in the 1970s. She had an advanced degree and worked as a social worker. Her work made our community better. The fact that she had a career in the 1970s showed me that you could be a mother and still have a life and career outside the home, and that careers can bring meaning and fulfillment. My father also worked as an engineer, and so by the time I was in middle school, I was a latchkey kid, which taught me independence and responsibility.
My path to marketing was circuitous, but it was clear early on that I was destined for an international career of some sort. I always loved languages, history, and politics, so when it came time to go to University, I pursued international relations. I thought I would have a career in the foreign service. After receiving a Master’s in International Policy, I went to live and work in Poland for a micro-lending organization supporting women entrepreneurs. But after a few years, I felt I needed a more formal business education to better serve our lenders. I pursued an MBA at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management. They have a strong program in not-for-profit management, but I also took the chance to study finance and marketing, which led me to Unilever. I gave myself two to five years before I would return to the non-profit world, but a few years in, I realized what a positive impact a large, well-run, values-led company could have on communities, on industry and on the planet. Unilever is where I have made my career ever since.
Even though I’ve been with the same employer, I’ve held many roles and worn many hats throughout my tenure. I’ve worked on brands in beauty, personal care and home care, many of which are brands that have been in used by women for generations. My first brand was Q-tips. Later, I worked on and led the Vaseline brand globally for a total of 10 years, which is unusual. I did the math once, and by the time I left that brand, I had been there for 6.7% of the brand’s 150-year existence. That type of perspective reminds me that we are just temporary custodians of the brands we lead.
I’ve lived and worked in the U.S., the U.K., and China, and I have visited consumers in their homes across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe. My husband and I jumped at the chance to go abroad soon after getting married. What was supposed to be a two-year international assignment turned into three consecutive assignments. We returned home 12 years and three children later, incredibly enriched with new life experiences.
It has been an immense privilege to experience other countries and cultures, and to witness firsthand how people’s lifestyles are evolving. For example, over 10 years of visiting women in central India, I’ve seen how a woman’s position in the household has changed. Several generations once lived together; now, it is becoming more common for younger married couples to establish their own households separate from their in-laws. Women are also more likely to work outside the home and contribute financially to the household. In my role I am not just a witness to these changes, I must adapt our brands to better serve this new lifestyle.
Our brands serve the intimate, everyday needs of our consumers – what I sometimes call the “small needs,” like caring for her skin or hair, saving her time, making her feel cared for and confident. But our brands also tackle her “big needs” – the things that people need to thrive. These include the anxious teenager scrolling through social media who is encouraged by positive, aspirational and attainable Real Beauty from Dove; the person who hasn’t ever seen a dermatologist before but can receive a diagnosis and care through the Vaseline Healing Project; the majority of us who want to make the sustainable choice but who find the options all a little overwhelming. Unilever is making the sustainable choice easier by just doing it – taking on climate change and plastic waste by delivering significant greenhouse gas and plastic reduction in all our operations.
I am inspired by the words of Steve Jobs who said, “Make something wonderful and put it out there,” and that this act of creation, with care and love, is a profound way to show appreciation for humanity. I aspire to deliver that when we craft our products, in the care we show when we test them, in how the packaging looks and functions, and ultimately, how it will make someone feel when they use it every day.
As Chief Marketing Officer of a portfolio of brands, I can’t be as involved in the day-to-day details of our craft as I once was. I still want to put beautiful things into the world, and I am still curious about consumers and continue to be motivated by serving their big and small needs. But now I need to do that through others and so my role is more about identifying and developing strengths – superpowers – in others and creating the conditions for everyone to thrive. As I think about my three children getting closer to joining the workforce, I want to create a workplace where they can thrive and where they can bring their full selves to work. Imagine what we can do if we combine our superpowers to create more beauty – beauty for the senses, for the soul, for our communities and for our planet?
Kathleen Dunlop has been named a 2026 CEW Achiever Award Honoree. She will be recognized along with five other Achiever Honorees and three Special Award recipients on April 30, 2026 at a can’t-miss luncheon in NYC. To support female leadership in the beauty industry, and to network with 1,000 beauty industry colleagues, please click here.
