037: The Art of the Turnaround: How Jan Zijderveld Transformed Unilever Europe and Saved Avon Products - Part 2

Jan Zijderveld has run businesses on five continents, fixing broken ones, growing strong ones, and inheriting everything in between. In Part 2 of this conversation, he picks up where the strategic playbook left off: leading leaders across Southeast Asia and Europe, then walking away from 30 years at Unilever to take the top job at a company most people had written off. That company was Avon. Share price at $2, $2 billion in debt, 6 million sales reps cycling in and out the door every year. Zijderveld rebuilt it around four levers: brand, earnings, digital, and simplification, and sold it three years later for $6 a share. The episode closes with hard-earned advice: start with the end in mind, take risks, and learn from everyone worth learning from. In this episode, you will hear: Leading leaders across Southeast Asia and Europe, and what changes when the people reporting to you run billion-dollar companies How Jan turned a shrinking European business into Unilever's sharpest competitive proving ground The state of Avon when he arrived: $2 share price, $2 billion in debt, and 6 million reps churning through the door every year Four levers that rebuilt Avon from the ground up: brand restoration, rep earnings, digitization, and radical simplification Why 90th-percentile talent succeeds only 27% of the time, and what the other two variables are Start with the end in mind, get flying hours, and surround yourself with people who have a spike Connect with Sandy Ogg: Website: https://www.sandyontalent.com/  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandyogg/  X: https://twitter.com/SandyOnTalent  Instagram: @SandyOnTalent Follow and Review: We'd love for you to follow us if you haven't yet. Click that purple '+' in the top right corner of your Apple Podcasts app. We'd love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review" then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast. Episode Credits If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Emerald City Productions. They helped me grow and produce the podcast you are listening to right now. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com Let them know we sent you.