HUL FinAce Season 8
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL)
HUL FinAce Season 8: Stages and Timelines
FinAce Season 8 Digital Launch & Q&A: CFO PLAYBOOK ON DRIVING BUSINESS GROWTH
All the registered teams will attend this session to gain knowledge and clear their doubts about the Simulation Round. You can now access the case document from here.
Opening Round - Business Simulation Round
FinAce Business Simulation is an exciting online tool where you will work as a team to take real time business decisions in a firm, deal with market forces/fluctuations and as a team, maximize profits for the firm. Prior to entering the simulation, all registered teams will attend a virtual Business Simulation Debrief Session to understand the rules of simulation. Teams will be evaluated basis their performance in the simulation and shortlisted teams will advance to the Qualifying Round.
Simulation FAQs - Click Here
Qualifying Round - Business Simulation PPT Submission
The shortlisted teams from the opening round will submit a 5-slider PPT. The PPT should be based on an analysis of Company Financials (1 slide) and a slider for each round/quarter, with the option to add cover and end slides.
Semi-Finale
The semi-finalists will have a unique opportunity to be part of the “CFO Club” & interact with HUL CFO – Ritesh Tiwari. The semi-finalist teams will present to a jury comprising of Senior Finance Leaders from HUL. The jury will evaluate the performance based on 10-minute presentation + 5-minute Q&A and Identify the top 3 teams to progress to the Grand Finale.
Note: You need to make your submissions directly to the HUL Team over email.
Grand Finale
In the Grand Finale, the top teams will get the opportunity to be mentored by a Senior Finance Leader from HUL for a week. Post the week-long mentoring connects, the finalists will be required to present a detailed pitch of their case solution to an eminent jury of Senior Leaders from HUL.
All that you need to know about HUL FinAce Season 8
HUL presents FinAce Season 8, an inter B-School finance and business challenge to give students an opportunity to stretch their imagination and write the future!
The objective of FinAce is to provide a real-life perspective of how the Finance function operates in an FMCG major in terms of the business partnering roles as well as the business strategy decisions made in the company.
Participation Criteria:
FinAce Season 8 is open to all first-year B-School students from the below institutes, irrespective of their specialisations:
- Department of Management Studies (DMS), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Delhi
- Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), Delhi
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Calcutta
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Kozhikode
- Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Lucknow
- Indian School of Business (ISB)
- Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Mumbai
- Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management (SJMSOM), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay
- SP Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai
- Xavier School of Management (XLRI), Delhi
- Xavier School of Management (XLRI), Jamshedpur
Team Rules:
- The participants should register through the Unstop website.
- Students must register in teams of 3 only and nominate one of them as a team leader.
- Only students from the same campus can form a team.
- Cross-specialization teams can participate.
- There is no restriction on the number of teams from an institute.
- HUL reserves the right to check the validity of the registration information submitted at any point in time.
- Modification of team post registration will not be allowed.
- Visit @unileverdiariesindia Instagram page and @Unilever LinkedIn page to stay updated on the registration and other timelines.
- Any deviation from the above will result in immediate disqualification of the entire team.
Stages:
Stage 1 - Opening Round: Business Simulation Launch:
- FinAce Business Simulation is an exciting online tool where you will work as a team to make real-time business decisions in a firm, deal with market forces/fluctuations and as a team, and maximize profits for the firm.
- Prior to entering the simulation, all registered teams will attend a virtual Business Simulation
Debrief session to understand the rules of the simulation. - The online simulation will be accessible to all registered teams of participating campuses on the given day.
- Duration of the simulation round will be 2 hours.
- Teams will be evaluated basis of their performance in the simulation and shortlisted teams will advance to the Qualifying Round.
Stage 2 - Qualifying Round: Business Simulation Presentations:
- The top teams shortlisted across campuses will present to Finance Leaders from HUL about the decisions taken in the simulation and the rationale behind them. A detailed brief will be shared with the shortlisted teams subsequently.
- The jury will evaluate the performance based on a 10-minute presentation + 5-minute Q&A.
- This round will be eliminatory and will be used to assess teams that will proceed to the semi-finals.
Stage 3 - Semi Finale: Case Study Round:
- The semi-finalists will have a unique opportunity to be part of the “CFO Club” & interact with HUL CFO – Ritesh Tiwari.
- The semi-finalist teams will present to a jury comprising Senior Finance Leaders from HUL.
- The jury will evaluate the performance based on the 10-minute presentation + 5-minute Q&A and identify the top 3 teams who will progress to the Grand Finale.
Stage 4 - Grand Finale:
- In the grand finale, the finalists will be required to present a detailed pitch to an eminent jury of Senior Leaders from HUL.
- The finale format will be announced closer to the finale date.
Prizes and Rewards:
- Semi-Finalists:
- All team members who reach the semi-final stage will be individually shortlisted for a PPI with Unilever as part of the Summer Internship Process (ULIP 2026).
- Grand Finale Winners:
- The winning team will be awarded a cash prize of Rs. 3,00,000/- and the Runners-Up team will be awarded a cash prize of Rs. 2,00,000/-.
- The winning teams will exclusively feature in Forbes India Magazine as the Top Finance Talent of 2025.
Important Information:
- All timelines and deadlines at all stages will be updated on the @unileverdiariesindia Instagram page and @Unilever LinkedIn page.
Important dates & deadlines?
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16 Aug'24, 11:59 PM IST Registration Deadline
Download attachments
Rewards and Prizes?
Grab Pre-Placement Interviews/Offers & Cash prizes worth 5,00,000
Grand Finale Winner
The winning teams will exclusively feature in Forbes India Magazine as the Top Finance Talent of 2024.
Grand Finale Runners-Up
The Runners-Up team will be awarded a cash prize of Rs. 2,00,000/-.
Semi-Finalists
PPIs with Unilever as part of the Summer Internship Process (ULIP 2025)
About Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL)
- India’s largest FMCG company with 65 brands in more than 20 categories.
- A turnover of Rs. 60,680 Crores with an EBITDA of Rs. 15,144 crores.
- The company holds 45000 distributors, 8 mn stores and 1150 suppliers under its vast distribution network.
In 1931, Unilever set up its first Indian subsidiary, Hindustan Vanaspati Manufacturing Company, followed by Lever Brothers India Limited (1933) and United Traders Limited (1935). These three companies merged to form HUL in November 1956; HUL offered 10% of its equity to the Indian public, being the first among the foreign subsidiaries to do so. Unilever now holds 61.9% equity in the company.
Unilever acquired Lipton in 1972 whereas Brooke Bond joined its fold in 1984. In 2007, the company’s name was formally changed to Hindustan Unilever Limited and in 2010, the company’s head office was shifted from the landmark Lever House in Mumbai to its new campus in Andheri East
Product/Business Portfolio-
HUL categorizes its brands under 3 major categories:
Beauty and Personal Care:
The beauty and Personal care segment is the largest segment in the kitty of HUL with 32 brands and clocked a total of Rs. ₹21,831 Cores with an EBITDA of Rs.5,597 crores. The brands that come under the category are as follows:
- Axe
- Dove
- Lifebuoy
- Love Beauty and Planet
- Lux
- Pepsodent
- Rexona
- Sunsilk
- Tresemme
- Vaseline
- Aviance
- Breeze
- Citra
- Clear
- Close Up
- Glow and Lovely
- Lakme
- Pears
- TIGI
- Tony&Guy
- Brylcreem
- Clinic Plus
- Elle 18
- Glow and Handsome
- Hamam
- Indulekha
- Ayush
- Liril
- Pure Derm
- Rexona
- V Wash
Foods and Refreshments:
Foods and refreshment is the next category under HUL. It is the second largest category in terms of the number of brands but falls behind the Home Care category in terms of revenue. In FY 2022, the foods and refreshment category clocked a total revenue of Rs. 14,876 crores with an EBITDA of Rs. 2,662 crores. The brands that fall under the foods and refreshment kitty are as follows:
- Boost
- Cornetto
- Hellman’s
- Horlicks
- Horlicks Cardia Plus
- Horlicks Growth Plus
- Lite Horlicks
- Horlicks Mother’s Plus
- Horlicks Protein Plus
- Horlicks Women’s Plus
- Junior Horlicks
- Knorr
- Lipton
- Magnum
- Bru
- Annapurna
- Brooke Bond 3 Roses
- Brooke Bond Red Label
- Brooke Bond Taaza
- Brooke Bond Taj Mahal
- Kissan
- Quality Walls
3. HomeCare:
The third category classified by HUL is the Homecare category, which achieved a total turnover of Rs. 21,230 crores and an EBITDA of Rs.3,875 crores with 10 brands, which are as follows:
- Cif
- Comfort
- Wheel
- Domex
- Rin
- Surf Excel
- Vim
- Love & Care
- Nature Protect
- Sunlight
Recent Mergers and Acquisitions
- In one of the largest mergers in the FMCG industry, GSK consumer healthcare was merged with HUL for $3.8Bn. This deal will give HUL a strong foothold in the Nutrition and health drinks category with brands like Horlicks
- Another major acquisition in 2019-2020 was that of V-Wash, the female intimate hygiene brand
- HUL also acquired the ice cream and frozen desserts business of Vijaykant Dairy and Food Products Limited, giving it access to ‘Aditya Milk’ and its distribution network
- HUL also acquired Indulekha in 2015, the premium hair oil brand to foray into the upcoming category of Ayurveda
Top 5 Competitors:
- Procter & Gamble India
- ITC Ltd
- Nestle India Ltd
- Reckitt Benckiser
- Patanjali Ayurveda
Recent News and Developments:
- HUL rejigged its top management and appointed Kedar Lele as its Executive Director for customer development.
- HUL sets up a fully owned subsidiary Unilever India Ltd to save on corporate taxes.
- HUL partnered with KVN foundation and Portea healthcare to airlift 4000 oxygen concentrators to bring to India.
- HUL partnered with Invest India to launch the ‘Grand Water Saving Challenge’.
- HUL boss Sanjiv Mehta honored with AIMA-JRD Tata Corporate Leadership Award.
- HUL also joined hands with SBI to provide its retailers with an instant OD facility and transform retailer payments digitally.
Opportunities at HUL:
Main Roles offered to Students: For management students, HUL hires them as Management Trainees and takes them through their 15-18 month training program known as the Unilever Future Leaders Program. After completion of the training program, the trainees are employed in various areas of work like Sales and Marketing, HR, Supply Chain, Finance, etc.