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Unilever, a British consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England, said on Monday, Jan. 30, that it has hired a new executive to be its CEO. The company announced that former Heinz Company executive, Hein Schumacher, has been appointed to the role.
Unilever said that Schumacher would be replacing Alan Jope as chief executive starting this July. the firm revealed that his appointment had been approved by investors, including activist shareholder and board member, Nelson Peltz.
As per Reuters, the outgoing Unilever chief, Alan Hope, announced his plan to retire from the company in September of last year. Schumacher was chosen as his replacement after an intensive global search. It was further shared that the 51-year-old new CEO originally joined Unilever in October 2022, and at that time, he was a non-executive director.
Currently, he is working as the CEO of FrieslandCampina, a Dutch dairy company, since 2008. Before this, he worked for H.J. Heinz for 10 years and was stationed in the United States, Asia, and Europe.
It was noted that this is the first time that Unilever has appointed someone to a key position in the company who is a non-Unilever executive. Activist investor Nelson Peltz strongly supports Schumacher’s appointment, so the company’s transition under new leadership will surely be smooth.
“We are delighted to welcome Hein as our new Chief Executive, after an extensive, global search process,” Nils Andersen, Unilever’s chairman, stated in a press release. “Hein is a dynamic, values-driven business leader who has a diverse background of experiences and an excellent track record of delivery in the global consumer goods industry.”
The company chairman went on to say that Schumacher “has exceptional strategic capabilities, proven operational effectiveness, and strong experience in both developed and developing markets. The Board looks forward to Hein realizing the full potential of Unilever as a winning business that delivers long-term growth and value for all its stakeholders.
Photo by: Sean Biehle/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
