The Force for good
Due to my design management contributions on this project, I was honoured with a 2017 Unilever Global Compass Award, recognizing the work as a powerful example of how USLP (Unilever Sustainable Living Plan) brands are driving both growth and positive impact across Africa.
The Challenge:
The Royco brand, deeply loved in Nigeria for its homemade, traditional feel was losing emotional resonance as global design standards pushed it toward a more modern, minimalist look. The global brand team had jurisdiction over pack design elements to ensure consistency across markets, while the Nigerian local team was accountable for commercial success.
In the middle sat the Global Artwork Excellence team—tasked with ensuring final assets met both brand cohesion and regulatory requirements, and coordinating multiple design agencies. The stakes were unusually high: this wasn’t just about one SKU refresh, but a wider strategic transformation that would unlock investments across the supply chain, create jobs, and support Unilever’s broader Sustainable Living Plan in West Africa.
The Approach:
​
To bridge the gap between global design mandates and local consumer resonance, I led a strategic negotiation with Unilever’s global brand team to grant the Nigerian team creative control over one key asset: the food photography. This element held deep emotional value for local consumers, and I believed that by elevating it to global quality standards while preserving cultural authenticity, we could open the door to broader creative autonomy over time.
As Senior Artwork Production Specialist, I was the operational and creative linchpin across a complex cross-functional team spanning Brand Marketing, R&D (formulations and packaging), Regulatory, and Quality Assurance. I served as the custodian of the entire artwork and packaging workflow, ensuring each function delivered timely, accurate inputs and understood their roles within the broader process—measured within an OTIF (On Time and In Full) framework, where 100% meant all inputs and approvals were completed within the maximum allotted time and without errors.
​
This was one of fifteen to twenty projects of similar scale for different brands I would lead in a year, and the team dynamics were often evolving. This required me to take proactive leadership to onboard and guide new team members who joined mid-project, ensuring they were seamlessly integrated into the workflow without disrupting timelines or deliverables. My consistency and domain knowledge ensured continuity despite team changes, and I kept projects humming through to launch.
​
Externally, I coordinated with a network of global and local agency partners—including SGK, SGS, Ogilvy, and regional studios like Paton Tupper and The Hardy Boys—to ensure aligned execution across visual identity, regulatory compliance, and technical packaging specifications. This project had all these elements and more.​
The Solution:
To manage complexity and maintain control over the packaging execution across 21 SKUs, I created a Royco SKU Matrix using the attached product architecture. This tool served as a master tracker—clearly distinguishing between Lead SKUs (used as creative and regulatory templates) and Rollout SKUs (adapted for production scale). The matrix allowed for strategic consolidation of efforts across packaging formats and variants, ensuring consistency while accelerating approvals.​
​
Once the matrix was in place, I led the execution across all phases:
-
Concept Design Phase
I directed the creative development of the photography, aligning local agency partners and stakeholders with global visual identity standards. I ensured the concept pack was locally resonant while globally acceptable—setting the tone for all future adaptations. -
Adaptive Design Phase
I supervised the adaptation of Lead SKUs—locking in formulations, claims, and regulatory text. This phase formed the basis for cross-functional validation, from R&D to Regulatory, while I ensured that artwork remained technically feasible and emotionally compelling. -
Rollout Phase
Upon regulatory sign-off, I led the upload and approval process within Blue, Unilever’s internal artwork management system. Here, each SKU was reviewed with finalized country-specific text, technical factory line data (via Technical Drawings), and print-ready layouts. I coordinated with all departments to ensure timely first-time approvals—benchmarked against a 100% OTIF (On Time In Full) target.
​
Throughout, my role wasn’t just operational—it was strategic. I ensured that while the technical integrity of each SKU was maintained, the emotional essence of Royco was never compromised. This project was a test of scale, precision, and cultural fluency—and the SKU matrix was the engine that made it all run.
ROYCO_NIGERIA
The Impact:
​​​
For my contributions on the Royco Nigeria packaging redesign project, I was honored with the 2017 Unilever Global Compass Award, presented by David Blanchard (Chief R&D Officer) and Sue Garrard (EVP, Sustainable Business & Communications). This prestigious internal award recognizes initiatives that exemplify Unilever's commitment to sustainable growth and positive social impact, aligning with the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan (USLP).
​
The comprehensive redesign successfully preserved and enhanced local consumer affinity by integrating culturally resonant elements, such as authentic Nigerian food photography, while adhering to Unilever's global brand standards. This balance between local relevance and global consistency not only strengthened brand loyalty in the Nigerian market but also served as a benchmark for similar adaptations across Unilever's West African portfolio.
​
Royco's packaging evolution has since become a case study in effectively harmonizing global brand cohesion with local market intelligence. The methodologies and insights gained from this project have informed a 6–7 year roadmap for packaging adaptations in the region, influencing strategies for other Unilever brands seeking to achieve similar objectives.