Will Wyld ACA

From frontline retail to global digital transformation, Will Wild’s career path is anything but conventional. With experience spanning M&A, retail rescue missions, and FMCG innovation, he’s emerged as a finance leader who’s redefining what the function can, and should, be.

We caught up with Will to explore how a hands-on mindset, entrepreneurial approach, and relentless focus on value creation are helping shape Unilever’s finance transformation from the inside out.

The road to transformation

Will’s journey began in corporate finance—first at PwC, then at Citi, before moving into retail with Tesco and finally FMCG with Unilever. But it’s not the career path that stands out most—it’s his motivation.

“For me, it’s always been about impact. Whether I’m advising management teams, rebuilding trust post-crisis, or digitising a global supply chain, the question I keep coming back to is: how can I make things better?”

At Tesco, that meant helping steer the company through a major accounting scandal and then revamping its value proposition to win back customer loyalty. At Unilever, it meant diving deep into emerging markets and launching a new B2B marketplace from scratch—scaling it to $250M in just two years.

The CFO startup: Scaling innovation from the inside

One of Will’s most defining projects was building an eB2B marketplace inside Unilever—what he calls a “CFO startup.” He joined as employee number three and led the finance side of the venture, establishing seven legal entities across Asia and LATAM:

“We had to move fast, solve problems daily, and strip out the noise. There was no time for perfect slides—just fast decisions, clear accountability, and constant momentum.”

His ability to bridge enterprise discipline with startup agility helped the venture raise $18M in funding and launch in seven markets. It also pushed Will to redefine what finance leadership looks like in a fast-paced, tech-led environment.

Finance as the architect of change

Will believes finance has a critical, often underused role to play in transformation.

“Finance is the blueprint of the business. We’re in a unique position to understand complexity, see the whole value chain, and distill it into something simple and scalable.”

For Will, this means resisting the urge to lead with technology. Instead, he starts with understanding workflows, designing standardized processes, and building a harmonized tech stack only after the business need is crystal clear: 'Too often, people go tech-first and end up with fragmented solutions. But if you start with clarity, you unlock value, efficiency—and transformation that lasts.”

A new mindset for modern finance

Rather than talking about “change management,” Will champions continuous improvement as the new norm.

He also advocates for a shift in finance behaviors—less deference, more ownership. Less perfectionism, more action. And above all, curiosity over complacency.

“Start by really understanding your value chain. Then test small, move fast, and scale once you know what works. Don’t try to fix everything at once.”

Leadership through purpose and perspective

Will’s leadership philosophy is anchored in clarity, energy, and human connection. He describes it as a personal “diamond” framework:

• Values: Curious, confident, kind—what he teaches his two daughters.
• Motivators: Creating and seizing opportunities, inspired by sport and purpose.
• Purpose: Making a tangible difference for colleagues, customers, and communities
• Energy: Managing energy over time for long-term, sustainable impact.
   

“For me, success is helping others succeed—whether that’s a family-run store in Asia or a teammate finding their spark.”