Unilever CEO Paul Polman retires, to be succeeded by Alan Jope

Unilever CEO Paul Polman will retire from the company, to be replaced by Alan Jope, Unilever president of beauty and personal care, the firm’s largest division.

Polman, who has been at the helm of the Anglo-Dutch company for over a decade, angered shareholders earlier this year with a plan to move its headquarters to the Netherlands. However, an investor rebellion forced the firm to abandon the idea.

Unilever said during his tenure the company has delivered “consistent top and bottom line growth”. Under Polman, the company has acquired a raft of new brands, including: Tazo, Mãe Terra, Weis, Grom, and Talenti Gelato & Sorbetto.

In its most recent quarterly results, turnover was down 4.8% as it was affected by the disposal of its spreads unit.

Alan Jope, 54, has led Unilever’s beauty and personal care unit since 2014, and has been on the company’s leadership executive since 2011.

Unilever said he has “an excellent track record of leading Unilever’s business in both developed and emerging markets, having run the company’s north Asia business for four years, served as president of Russia, Africa and Middle East, and spent over a decade in senior foods, home care and personal care roles for Unilever US”. He joined the company as a graduate marketing trainee in 1985.

Unilever chairman Marijn Dekkers said: “Paul is an exceptional business leader who has transformed Unilever, making it one of the best-performing companies in its sector, and one of the most admired businesses in the world. His role in helping to define a new era of responsible capitalism, embodied in the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, marks him out as one of the most far-sighted business leaders of his generation.

“Paul’s vision, drive and performance focus, combined with his commitment to serving the best long-term interests of the company, have materially strengthened Unilever. He leaves a more agile and resilient company, well placed to win in this fast-changing, dynamic industry. I’d like to thank him personally, and on behalf of the board, for his contribution to Unilever.

Alan Jope

“After a rigorous and wide-ranging selection process, the board is delighted to appoint Alan to the role. Having worked for Unilever in a variety of senior management roles, Alan has a deep understanding and experience of our business, the industry, and the markets in which we operate. He is a strong, dynamic and values-driven leader with an impressive track record of delivering consistent high-quality performance. The board warmly welcomes Alan to the role and wishes him every success.”

Paul Polman said: “I congratulate Alan on his appointment and look forward to working with him on the transition. Having worked closely with Alan for many years, I am highly confident that under his leadership, Unilever will prosper long into the future. His appointment demonstrates the strength of Unilever’s succession planning and talent pipeline.

“It has been an honour to lead Unilever over the last ten years. Throughout this time, I have been humbled by the commitment and hard work of our people, and their passion for creating a truly purpose-driven company. I am very grateful to them, as I am to Unilever’s many other stakeholders, with whom we have worked to build our long-term, sustainable business. I look forward to engaging with many of these partners – in a different capacity – to help address the many environmental and social challenges facing the world.”

Alan Jope added: “It will be a huge privilege to lead Unilever – a truly global company full of talented people, and brilliant brands. Over the 30 years I have worked at Unilever, I have seen the many ways in which our brands improve people’s lives, positively impacting more than 2 billion citizens every day.

“Our global footprint includes strong positions in many important markets for the future and our focus will remain on serving our consumers, and our other multiple stakeholders, to deliver long-term growth and value creation. I’d also like to extend my gratitude to Paul for his remarkable leadership of Unilever and look forward to working closely with him during the transition.” 

Polman will retire as CEO on 31 December 2018. He will support the transition process in the first half of 2019 and will leave the company in early July.