From self-doubt to leadership impact: an internal promotion and a purpose-driven initiative

Vuyo, Food Brand Director at Unilever, previously Global Brand Manager at Univeler (Durban -London)

context

Vuyo was a Global Brand Manager at Unilever in London. Despite her success in the marketing industry, she felt the pull of a deeper purpose, but she felt stuck and uncertain about the next steps in her career.

She knew she had the potential to create a greater impact but was unsure how to transition into a role that aligned with her values and long-term vision.

Challenge

Vuyo needed clarity on how to make a meaningful career change, but also address the internal barriers that prevented her from fully harnessing the full potential of her ideas, leadership capacity, energy and talents.

Objectives

  • Gain clarity on her personal drivers and aspirations.

  • Identify and overcome the deep-rooted fears and limitations hindering her growth.

  • Define a long-term vision to guide her career journey and leadership stand.

Results

  • Vuyo transitioned back to South Africa with Unilever, stepping into a higher-impact role as Food Brand Director.

  • She also launched the DreamGirls Academy in Durban to empower young women and published her first book–a collection of 50 original poems focused on self-doubt and unanswered questions.

Roadmap

In 9 sessions, we tackled three key stages:

    • Vuyo tapped into her deep-rooted passion for creativity and social impact, aligning her career with her long-term vision to contribute to Africa’s economic growth.

    • Vuyo recognized that her internal fears had been holding her back—particularly doubts about whether she could make a greater impact and successfully lead in a new territory outside her established marketing career

    • Vuyo knew she needed to return to South Africa, the land that had shaped her. We focused on exploring both internal opportunities to move within Unilever and social initiatives to contribute to on the side.

    • Vuyo engaged in strategic conversations with stakeholders at Unilever in London and Durban (South Africa), while simultaneously connecting with individuals and organizations in Africa to explore initiatives aligned with her mission.

    • Vuyo developed a clear narrative to communicate her vision for Africa’s growth and how she could contribute to its social transformation leveraging her expertise, personal journey and ideas.

    • Through this narrative, she positioned herself as a key player within Unilever’s Durban office, aiming to influence impactful projects and contribute to her mission for social change.

key Insight

The key to overcoming her self-doubt and fears was putting them in context with her long-term aspirations of leading a bigger impact, challenging them with her past successes, and tackling them by breaking the process into small, manageable steps—treating this process as an experiment rather than an immediate cause she needed to lead.

Breaking Through Fear to Transform My Leadership Path

“Susana was instrumental in helping me realise the deep-rooted fears I had around realising my potential and succeeding. She helped me make bolder choices to lead me closer to having the impact I want in the world. Her style is refreshing and holistic. I have since moved to South Africa to take on a greater leadership role and have begun to help disadvantaged girls and women through education and self-development. All this has blossomed from the transformative coaching I had with her.”

- Vuyo, Brand Director at Unilever (Durban-London) and ExCo Member at DreamGirls Academy (Durban chapter)

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