Following the premature retirement of Alan Jope the Board of Unilever has appointed Hein Schumacher as the next CEO. Currently Schumacher is the head of FrieslandCampina, a major dairy cooperative in Holland. He will assume the position of Unilever CEO on July 1st following a one-month transition. Schumacher has led FrieslandCampina since 2018 having guided the Cooperative through a radical transformation.
Schumacher currently serves as a non-executive director at Unilever and has experience in the food industry, having worked for HJ Heinz in the EU and Asia Pacific. Nils Andersen Chairman of Unilever noted, “Hein is a dynamic, values-driven business leader who has a diverse background of experience 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.”
Alan Jope came under extreme pressure from investment groups Trian Partners and FundSmith Equity over suboptimal financial results and including the debacle over acquisition of the consumer healthcare business of GlaxoSmithKline. Problems encountered during his tenure included the effects of COVID, the political fallout from a controversy over the Ben and Jerry’s business in the Palestinian West Bank and vacillation over future strategic reorganization of the company.