Alessandra Bellini, former Chief Customer Officer at Tesco and long-time Unilever executive, is a transformative leader, a mentor, and a respected force in the advertising space.
In this episode of Visionary Voices, Alessandra reflects on her journey across global markets, brand-defining campaigns, and the lessons she has learnt throughout her career.
From starting as an apprentice in advertising to spending two decades at Unilever in roles that spanned the globe, Alessandra has been at the heart of some of the world’s most impactful brand transformations. Notably, she played a key role in rebuilding consumer trust at Tesco following the 2014 accounting scandal, serving as Chief Customer Officer during one of the most pivotal moments in the company’s history.
Now working as an advisor and executive coach, Alessandra shares her expertise with the next generation of marketing talent, helping them navigate their careers to create an impact.
Alessandra believes the key to campaign success lies in cultural nuance. “You need to be led by the market, by the competitive situation, and by consumers – not by your own feelings,” she told us.
She quoted a saying from her Unilever days: “Mindlessly global or hopelessly local”. If you don’t create a campaign without deep cultural knowledge, you will waste your time and money. This principle has guided her work on global brands and localized campaigns.
We asked Alessandra to share one of the most impactful campaigns she has seen during her time in the advertising space. As someone who’s obsessed with the industry, she couldn’t narrow it down to one!
She sang the praises of Dove’s Campaign for Real Beauty, which challenged beauty stereotypes and helped change the narrative in mass-market advertising. When the campaign launched in 2024, it was a truly out-of-the-box concept, and it has shaped the way that many beauty brands show up online today.
At Tesco, she helped lead one of the brand’s most successful Christmas campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic: No Naughty List. The light-hearted yet sensitive message resonated widely, bringing a smile to customers while still recognizing the frustrations people were feeling.
We closed the conversation by asking Alessandra to describe her career in 3 words, she said: Connecting heart & mind.
This philosophy defines her leadership style – solving business problems with empathy, and always putting people at the center of it all.
