Unilever has announced the appointment of Hein Schumacher as its new chief executive officer, following what it described as an "extensive, global search process".
Schumacher replaces Alan Jope, who announced his intention to retire from Unilever in September 2022.
Schumacher is currently CEO of global dairy and nutrition business Royal FrieslandCampina, and became a non-executive director of Unilever last October. After a one-month handover period, he will begin as Unilever CEO on 1 July 2023.
Unilever said Schumacher has an excellent track record across multiple leading companies in the consumer good industries, and that he is a business leader.
As CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina, an €11bn turnover business operating in over 40 countries, he successfully delivered significant portfolio and organisation change as part of transforming it into a more focused, growth-driven and sustainable business, according to Unilever.
Prior to joining Royal FrieslandCampina as chief finance officer in 2014, Hein worked for H.J. Heinz for over a decade – during a time of significant change at the company – across the US, Europe and Asia. In his last four years at Heinz, he was based in China, where he led a turnaround of the Asia Pacific zone. Hein began his career in finance at Unilever, before joining Royal Ahold NV.
Unilever Chairman Nils Andersen said: “We are delighted to welcome Hein as our new chief executive, after an extensive, global search process. 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. He has exceptional strategic capabilities, proven operational effectiveness, and strong experience in both developed and developing markets. The Board looks forward to Hein realising the full potential of Unilever as a winning business which delivers long-term growth and value for all its stakeholders.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Alan for his leadership of Unilever. The changes he has made to the company’s strategy, structure and organisation leave Unilever far better positioned for success. Alan will continue to lead Unilever until the end of June. He will be retiring after a tremendous 37-year career with our business.”
Schumacher said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to lead Unilever. It is a business with an impressive global footprint, a strong brand portfolio, a talented team and an enviable reputation as a leader in sustainability. In my time serving on the Board, I have only become more convinced by the strength of Unilever’s fundamentals and its clear growth potential. I will be very focused on working with the Unilever team to deliver a step-up in business performance, as we serve the billions of people around the world who use its products every day.”
Unilever appoints new CEO after “extensive” search process
