Apprentice of the Year 2022
30 November 2022
Richard Laursen - R&D Apprentice, Unilever UK & Ireland
Richard is an agile, efficient and conscientious apprentice who has been active at seeking development opportunities, volunteering for tasks and learning more about the business. He has quickly progressed from shadowing in meetings to looking after global ingredient portfolios and leading projects.
Topics
- Apprenticeships and Qualifications
- Workforce and employment
Richard’s confidence has grown significantly as he has progressed, with more involvement in projects focused on his development and delivering business impact.
He has made a massive impact by using various data tools to extract, compare and manipulate data alongside helping to achieve cost savings and complexity reduction across the regions, working with different procurement teams to identify opportunities.
His work leading the project on iTFA (industrial trans fatty acids) reduction has been vital in ensuring that Unilever products are compliant with the EU regulations which came into effect in April 2021. This involved leading and informing other material leaders what was required and ensured Unilever products will not only meet EU regulations but external commitments to the World Health Organization.
Additionally, he is passionate about onboarding new talent into the workplace and has helped other apprentices settle into the workplace during unusual circumstances. He has been vocal about promoting the apprenticeship scheme, doing talks at schools and acting as an online ambassador.