Hein Schumacher is to become the next Chief Executive of Unilever. He will replace Alan Jope, the 35-year veteran of the company who announced in September last year that he planned to retire from the consumer goods giant amid investor disquiet over its lacklustre share price and failed £50bn bid for GSK’s consumer health business.
Hein is currently CEO of the global dairy and nutrition business Royal FrieslandCampina and became a Non-Executive Director of Unilever in October last year. He will take over the top job at Unilever on 1 July, after a one-month handover period.
Unilever noted that as CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina, Hein had delivered significant portfolio and organisation change to transform it into a more focused, growth-driven and sustainable business.
Prior to joining the business as CFO in 2014, Hein worked for Heinz for over a decade 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 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,” said Unilever Chairman Nils.
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.”
Hein added: “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.”
The change in management follows last year’s arrival of activist investor Nelson Peltz, whose Trian Fund Management has a history of pushing for change at consumer goods companies.
Peltz, who is now a member of Unilever’s board after Trian built up a stake in the British firm, welcomed Schumacher’s appointment, saying: “I strongly support Hein as our new CEO and look forward to working closely with him to drive significant sustainable stakeholder value.”
