Unilever PLC (LSE:ULVR) has named current Royal FrieslandCampina boss, Hein Schumacher, as its new chief executive officer.
He will replace Alan Jope, who announced in September 2022 his intention to retire, and will start his role at the FTSE 100 listed group on 1 July 2023, after a one-month handover period.
Unilever, the owner of Marmite and Persil, said Hein is a business leader with “an excellent track record across multiple leading companies in the consumer goods industry.”
Prior to this role at Royal FrieslandCampina, a €11bn turnover business operating in over 40 countries, he worked for HJ Heinz for over a decade across the US, Europe and Asia.
In a statement, Unilever chairman Nils Andersen said Hein was “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.”
Victoria Scholar, head of Investment, interactive investor commented: “Schumacher is an industry veteran; he has been CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina, an €11bn euro dairy business since January 2018 and earlier in his career he worked for the Kraft Heinz Foods Company for over a decade.”
She noted how shares had jumped on news of Jope’s departure, “suggesting investors are hungry for a change in leadership.”
“Jope came under heavy criticism during his time as CEO over his failed attempts to acquire GSK’s consumer health business,” she pointed out.