Name: Tyler Lee (he/him)
Age: 28
Job title: Senior customer account manager and Unilever ProUd Network co-chair
Company & location: Unilever, Kingston upon Thames
Education: International Business Studies at Bournemouth University
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? I was always destined for a career in business as an avid viewer of The Apprentice from a young age – the only similarity is every day is a new challenge!
Why did you decide to go for a career in food & drink? Within our industry no day is ever truly the same, which is something I learnt and enjoyed during my time as a Tesco colleague working in stores throughout my studies. We also look after beloved household brands and everyday products so close to the nation’s hearts, it’s great to play a part in the future of them.
Explain your job to us in a sentence (or two): A full-circle role for me currently as I work directly with commercial contacts at Tesco to collaboratively grow our homecare business and deliver products, activations, and promotional strategies for shoppers across brands such as Persil, Domestos and Comfort.
“Pride networks provide an amazing community you can rely on for many things such as support, mentoring and networking opportunities”
How does your workplace celebrate Pride month? Pride month is always a major moment for Unilever and our UK & Ireland ProUd network, but the focus on our community and awareness of issues or support available is amplified all year round.
In 2024, we are supporting six Pride events across the country, including Liverpool and Brighton Pride. We are also activating the seventh year of our ongoing partnership with the Switchboard LGBT helpline and Superdrug. This campaign will again see Unilever brands such as Lynx, Simple and Vaseline continue to provide limited-edition packs all year round in Superdrug, which include Switchboard’s helpline number on front of pack, whilst our ongoing donations will support the charities’ training and volunteer recruitment.
The milestones don’t stop there, as we’re also celebrating five years since the launch of our network following Pride in London back in 2019.
Does your company provide support to LGBTQ+ employees in terms of policies and resources? Unilever offers fantastic support to our colleagues, which includes industry-leading policies such as those that support our colleagues through transitioning or changes to gender expressions.
We are proud that our policies and support helped us achieve a Top 100 and Gold Employer position within Stonewall’s Workplace Equality Index when last submitted in 2023!
What does a typical day look like for you? No day really is the same, but I am fortunate enough to work for an organisation that lets me manage my day job alongside my role within our ProUd network.
How do you celebrate Pride? I am looking forward to attending more Pride events than ever this year as its always a wonderful feeling being surrounded by so much queer joy while also honouring changemakers and movements that came before us to get us here, as well as showing up for those that are still fighting.
Who is a Pride role model for you? A role model for me has to be Lil Nas X, as not only do I love their music but how unapologetically queer they are all the time. I can’t imagine how powerful this would have been to me as a music-obsessed chid.
Read more:
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Sysco to sponsor first-ever Pride event in Ashford
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Tesco’s Adam Jarvis on Pride, badgers and Jonathan Bailey
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My food & drink job: Ru Brown, Pride lead, Tesco
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Deliveroo launches LGBTQ+ chef training kitchen
And what’s the biggest misconception people have about working in food & drink? I would be rich if I had a pound for every time I tried to explain my role to friends at a party to only receive blank stares back. There is so much that goes on behind the scenes of our supermarket shelves and biggest brands – there is probably a job for everyone!
What advice would you give to young queer people in the food & drink industry? Celebrate Pride month in whatever way suits you, get involved with your LGBTQ+ colleague networks, or if you don’t have one then speak to decision makers about setting one up if you think your organisation could benefit from one. Pride networks provide an amazing community you can rely on for many things such as support, mentoring and networking opportunities.
With an ever-changing and increasingly challenging external environment for many parts of our community, support is really important – if for whatever reason you don’t know where to go for help then call GroceryAid on their free helpline of 08088 021 122 for emotional or practical support.
Interested in finding out more about food & drink careers? Check out GrocerJobs for the latest vacancies
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