Unilever Egypt has officially launched the second generation of Erada, its flagship disability inclusion initiative, reaffirming the company’s long-term commitment to performance-based diversity and empowerment of people with disabilities.
Originally launched in 2013 with just three visually impaired employees, Erada has grown into a robust, high-performing team of 46 individuals whose contributions have proven essential to Unilever’s commercial operations. The latest phase of the initiative sees the inclusion of two new team members—Rawan and Bassant—professionals who use wheelchairs and have now joined Unilever’s distribution teams in Cairo and Giza.
Their addition represents a significant milestone in Erada’s evolution and reflects the company’s deeper push toward inclusive practices across all operational functions.
“At Unilever, we believe talent is everywhere, and when given the right conditions, it thrives,” said Cem Tarık Yüksel, Unilever General Manager for North Africa, Levant, and Iraq. “Erada—the Arabic word for will—is not about meeting quotas or fulfilling CSR targets. We want to unlock human potential across all functions at our premises and factories, because the world needs to see that resilience and high performance go hand in hand.”
“To us, Erada is a competitive advantage,” added Bahaa Farouk, Customer Development Director for Egypt and Sudan at Unilever Mashreq. “Our colleagues in Erada prove every day that what some see as a limitation can become a source of unmatched strength. Their resilience, focus, and drive are fueling market growth, strengthening customer relationships, and setting a new benchmark for performance in our sales teams. I’m deeply proud to see how far we’ve come and excited for the impact this next chapter will bring to our customers and our business.”
A Vision Born from Within
The roots of Erada can be traced back to Ahmed Fawzy, Director of the Erada Program and a visually impaired Unilever employee who joined the company in 2003. By 2008, his vision had deteriorated to the point where he could no longer see his computer screen. Instead of stepping back, he collaborated with Unilever’s IT department to improve screen reader software that converted text to audio—an innovation that laid the groundwork for what would eventually become Erada.
“For me, blindness in the eyes is brightness in the heart,” Fawzy said, encapsulating the spirit behind the initiative.
Over the past 12 years, Erada has redefined Unilever Egypt’s approach to talent and leadership, with its team contributing to triple growth and playing a vital role in Health & Beauty distribution. The team now services 25% of the company’s pharmacy customers through closed-screen systems operated entirely by Erada members.
Performance with Purpose
The true test of Erada‘s impact came in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. As traditional distribution channels shut down nationwide, the Erada team not only maintained operations but doubled their business, cementing their value as a cornerstone of Unilever Egypt’s commercial resilience.
Unlike traditional inclusion programs, Erada does not function on reduced expectations. Team members operate under the same KPIs as their peers, with equal responsibilities and performance goals. The inclusion is meaningful, structural, and deeply embedded in how the business functions.
Each Erada member undergoes a 21-day hybrid training program covering product knowledge, negotiation skills, software usage, and CRM tools. For visually impaired employees, tailored assistive software is provided to ensure full integration and autonomy in order management and customer service.
Toward Inclusive Business
With its expansion to include individuals with reduced mobility and other disabilities, Erada is not just a corporate initiative—it is a call to action for Egypt’s business community. It urges companies to move from awareness to action, and from symbolic inclusion to measurable performance.
Erada now stands as a compelling model of how inclusive employment can drive both social impact and commercial success—a living example of what is possible when organizations choose to invest in the full spectrum of human potential.
