Unilever plc (LON:ULVR) has begun working with executive search firm Egon Zehnder International to help to identify a successor to chief executive officer Paul Polman, Sky News has reported.
No date has been set for Polman's retirement from the FTSE 100 listed consumer goods maker, but he is expected to step down in about 18 months, Sky News said, citing people close to the matter.
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Unilever, whose products range from Marmite spread, Dove soap to Ben & Jerry's ice cream, currently has a dual corporate structure, with headquarters, boards of directors and stock listings in both Britain and the Netherlands.
But this structure is under review in the wake of a rebuffed US$143bn takeover bid from Kraft Heinz Co (NASDAQ:KHZ) in February, with the company expected to say by the end of the year whether it will combine into one.
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Possible internal candidates from the company to succeed Polman could include finance director Graeme Pitkethly, although an extensive international search is likely to be carried out, Sky News said.