To be honest, I wasn’t entirely sure what Management Engineering was when I applied for it, except that it was supposed to be one of the most difficult courses in Ateneo and that a lot of the people I looked up to in high school chose it as their course. I must say that ME lived up to its reputation—it was definitely very challenging and it was filled with the most amazing, intelligent, and talented individuals I’ve had the privilege of knowing and learning from.
As an ME student, I always thought I would end up in the finance or supply chain industry, which are the logical and popular choices given our curriculum full of math, accounting, and O.R. subjects. When I got exposed to Marketing in my junior year however, I immediately knew that this was the field I wanted to be in. I liked that each Marketing challenge is unique, making things interesting all the time. I loved how Marketing requires me to use both my left AND right brain, blending both logic and magic, to solve business problems. I am challenged by how Marketing forces me to balance both short-term and long-term. And I am excited with how Marketing enables me to impact so many lives through brands and platforms. Thankfully, the ME program allows us to be “jack-of-all-trades, master of what we choose” which emboldened me to pursue this path.
Right after graduation, I joined Unilever as a management trainee where I had the chance to move across the different functions of the company which allowed me to gain a better understanding of the business. During my different assignments, I remember my ME training being put to the test when I had to work on activity-based costing models, optimize the central warehouse delivery system, and improve the inbound logistics strategy.
As a Marketeer, I’ve had the privilege of leading many well-known and well-loved brands, such as Cream Silk, Dove, Sunsilk, Pond’s, Rexona, and Close-up. I still remember the thrill of launching my first innovation with Close-up Lemon Mint, how nervous I felt on my first media event for Pond’s Age Miracle, and how excited I was to see my first on-ground campaign for Cream Silk Hair Dare come to life. Since then, I’ve worked on more memorable campaigns such as Dove Self-Esteem Project, Cream Silk Hair Sonata, TRESemme Runway Ready, Baby Dove Real Moms, Do the Lifebuoy, and Close-up Free to Love, among others.
While there have definitely been many highs, I have to say that there have also been many lows. I would like to think that overcoming these have helped me become stronger and wiser. Overall, it has been a wonderful journey so far—meeting so many brilliant people, learning from the best bosses and mentors (including several ME alumni!), travelling around the world, living in Singapore, gaining a lot of valuable experiences, and even building a beautiful family along the way!
Today, I continue to be inspired and challenged with the work on building teams, building brands, and building the business. Beyond this, I am passionate about using our brands as a force for good, and creating a positive impact on people and the planet.
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Dorothy Dee-Ching (BSME 2002) is Vice President for Beauty & Personal Care at Unilever Philippines, and a FAME Board Member.
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