Nico Febriady Shares the Valuable Skills He Gained from UMN’s Management Program That Helped Launch His Career at Unilever

A Photo of Nico Febriady, an alumnus of UMN’s Management Program. (Doc. UMN)

Jakarta, Monday (August 3, 2026) – A career path is often built on the skills acquired during college. This is exactly what Nico Febriady, an alumnus of the Management Program at Universitas Multimedia Nusantara (UMN), has experienced. He now serves as Global Procurement Manager for Plastics Sustainability at Unilever. For him, his educational experience at UMN served as a crucial foundation for navigating the challenges of an ever-changing business world.

From the very beginning, Nico chose UMN’s Management Program because he viewed management as a dynamic field that constantly evolves in response to global economic changes. In his view, the business world presents new challenges that require every professional to adapt and continue learning throughout their career.

“I believe management is a field that continuously evolves in line with global trends. There are always new developments in the economic world that have never been seen before. This requires everyone seeking a career to adapt to the needs of companies continuously,” Nico said.

Additionally, UMN was his choice because of its proximity to his home and its reputation as a university under the Kompas Gramedia umbrella. According to Nico, this gave him confidence that UMN could provide an education relevant to the needs of the industry.

Courses That Remain Relevant in the Workplace

During his time at UMN, Nico felt that all his courses contributed to his career development. However, if he had to choose one course that had the greatest impact, he cited the finance course as the foundation he uses most frequently to this day.

In his view, an understanding of total value, profitability, and cash flow forms a crucial foundation for making business decisions. This knowledge now helps him provide purchasing strategy recommendations to stakeholders based on their impact on company performance.

“We learned how to calculate total value and how financial processes influence corporate decision-making. This knowledge has been very helpful in providing stakeholders with insights into purchasing strategies and their impact on the company’s profitability and cash flow.”

In addition to technical skills, Nico also believes that the entrepreneurial values instilled during his studies have been a vital asset in his career journey. Thinking like an entrepreneur has made him accustomed to critical thinking, understanding business needs, and offering relevant solutions for the company.

“At UMN, we were taught to think like entrepreneurs. This has helped me stay relevant and make the best possible contributions to the company through solutions that meet stakeholders’ needs.”

According to Nico, UMN also continues to demonstrate its commitment to producing graduates who are ready to face the professional world. He sees the continuously updated curriculum, faculty who understand the latest economic developments, and collaborations with various universities as distinct strengths for UMN in preparing business and management graduates.

Daring to Try Various Roles Until Finding His Passion

Interestingly, Nico’s interest in procurement and sustainability actually developed after he graduated. He had the opportunity to move into different roles—both vertically and horizontally—within the same company, starting as a business analyst, then moving to factory operations, project manager, and finally discovering his passion in procurement.

According to him, each position change was a valuable experience that honed his analytical skills while broadening his understanding of the company’s business processes. He earned these opportunities by consistently meeting the performance targets set by the company.

“There wasn’t a specific moment. After moving roles several times—from business analyst to plant operations to project manager and finally to procurement—I ultimately decided to focus on procurement.”

A photo of Nico Febriady at the 2025 Supplier Conference at Unilever. (Doc. UMN)

Nico also noted that the biggest difference between college and the professional world lies in how knowledge is applied. In college, students have the freedom to learn and experiment with various approaches without major consequences. In contrast, in the professional world, every decision must be accounted for because it directly impacts the company.

“College is a safe space to learn and fail when applying what you’ve learned. In the workplace, there’s no safe space. You’re responsible for your work and the results.”

Contributing to Sustainability at Unilever

As Global Procurement Manager for Plastics Sustainability at Unilever, Nico is responsible for finding competitive sourcing solutions—particularly for recycled plastics—that align with the company’s sustainability goals. His work focuses not only on price negotiations but also on developing sourcing strategies that deliver cost efficiencies while supporting sustainability goals.

In his day-to-day work, Nico evaluates business performance with various stakeholders, discusses matters with suppliers, analyzes proposals, and develops project pipelines to generate cost savings. These processes form the foundation for both short-term and long-term procurement strategies.

It doesn’t stop there; he must also have a comprehensive understanding of the dynamics of the recycled plastics market. Nico and his team actively engage with various industry players—from suppliers, pricing agencies, collection centers, and junk shops to waste pickers—to gather the latest information on market developments.

“We must be the ones who understand the recycled plastics market best—from new entrants and the latest technologies to whether Unilever needs to invest in that market.”

This information is then used to develop price projections on a quarterly and annual basis. The results of this analysis serve as the foundation for the company in determining budgets, product packaging strategies, and various other business decisions.

Sustainability Is Now a Key Business Focus

For Nico, sustainability is no longer merely a supplementary program for the company; it has become an integral part of the global business strategy. At Unilever, the procurement function plays a crucial role in identifying solutions available in the market that align with the company’s sustainability roadmap.

“Procurement is at the forefront of finding solutions available in the market that are suitable for Unilever. We also receive support from global leadership and the global sustainability team to ensure that the decisions we make are always relevant to market developments and regulations.”

One of the most notable achievements of his career is Unilever’s success in increasing the use of recycled plastic to 25 percent across all its product packaging by 2025. According to Nico, this achievement serves as tangible proof of the company’s commitment to implementing more sustainable business practices.

Continuous Learning and Staying Relevant

Closing the interview session, Nico encouraged UMN Management students to stay abreast of the rapidly evolving world of sustainability. In his view, regulations, technology, and business trends will continue to evolve, making the ability to keep learning one of the key factors in building a career.

“Stay updated and stay relevant. The topic of sustainability is evolving very rapidly. There will always be new regulations, new methods, and new developments, so we must keep learning and remain relevant with the core knowledge we possess.”

As a closing message for students who are just starting their careers in the world of business and management, Nico shared a simple yet meaningful phrase.

“Push yourself. Because no one else is going to do it for you.”

By Reyvan Maulid | UMN News Service

English translation by Levina Chrestella Theodora

Kuliah di Jakarta untuk jurusan Program Studi Informatika | Sistem Informasi | Teknik Komputer | Teknik Elektro | Teknik Fisika | Akuntansi | Manajemen | Komunikasi Strategis | Jurnalistik | Desain Komunikasi Visual | Film dan Animasi | Arsitektur | D3 Perhotelan , di Universitas Multimedia Nusantara. www.umn.ac.id