Unilever Kenya raises stakes with search for spy

Unilever Kenya is looking for a spy in a job search that reflects the rise of corporate detectives in lucrative and highly competitive sectors.

The consumer goods giant on Friday said it was seeking a private investigator who has served in the security agencies including Kenya’s spy unit, the National Intelligence Service.

Unilever said the prospective candidate must prove that can obtain credible information from a wide network of well-placed sources and have a “clear understanding of trading networks”.

Demand for security experts is rising in corporate Kenya as companies move to guard their business secrets from aggressive competitors and prevent fraud from eating into their revenues.

Unilever did not state the specific functions the private investigator will handle at the Kenyan unit of the Anglo-Dutch multinational.

The firm, maker of soaps, body lotion and toothpaste, is faced with competition from global giants like L’Oreal and P&G and local firms like Bidco for control of the eastern Africa market.

This cut-throat market share fight has placed a premium on sound corporate intelligence as well as the need to guard against leakage of sensitive information.
Unilever’s brands in the food and personal care line include Close-up toothpaste, Omo (detergent), and Blue Band (margarine).

The aggressive pursuit of business in emerging markets has seen global firms like Revlon, New York listed Estee Lauder and L’Oreal set shop in Kenya.

L’Oreal last year acquired Interconsumer Products, makers of Nice & Lovely brands, putting pressure on firms like Unilever Kenya.

Unilever is also locked in battle with P&G, maker of Ariel brand, for control of Kenya’s detergent market, triggering court action.

Unilever, which manufactures the Omo washing powder, is aggrieved at P&G’s prime time television advertisement that promotes Ariel as the best stain removal detergent in one wash and superior to its flagship washing detergent.

Manufacturers are increasingly using private investigators to supplement official crackdown on unfair business practices including counterfeits and The Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM) said its members lose about Sh70 billion annually from the imitations.

Unilever and BAT are some of the top firms hit by fakes riding on their brands.

Corporate intelligence is a multi-billion-dollar business worldwide but its full scope in Kenya is difficult to establish due to its secretive nature.