Unilever appoints Hein Schumacher from FrieslandCampina as new CEO

30 Jan 2023 --- Unilever has appointed Hein Schumacher as its new chief executive officer, following an extensive, global search process. Schumacher will replace Alan Jope, who announced in September 2022 his intention to retire from Unilever.

Schumacher is currently CEO of the global dairy and nutrition business Royal FrieslandCampina and became a non-executive director of Unilever last October. He will begin as Unilever’s CEO on July 1, 2023, after a one-month handover period.

Schumacher is a business leader with a good track record across multiple leading companies in the consumer goods industry. As CEO of FrieslandCampina, an €11 billion (US$11.9 billion) turnover business, he has delivered significant portfolio and organizational change to transform it into a more focused, growth-driven, sustainable corporation.

Sybren Attema, chairman of the supervisory board of Royal FrieslandCampina, says that Schumacher “successfully guided FrieslandCampina through an important transformative period for the company.”

“In often very challenging circumstances, he led the company fully focused on making a sustainable, future-proof FrieslandCampina,” she notes. 

Ensuring continuity 
Schumacher joined FrieslandCampina in 2014 and assumed the CEO role in 2018 after three years as chief financial officer. He will continue to be active until April 30, 2023.

The supervisory board has already initiated an accelerated process to select his successor to ensure continuity and delivery of business plans for a future-proof FrieslandCampina. 

Before joining Royal FrieslandCampina as CFO in 2014, Schumacher worked for H.J. Heinz for over a decade – during a time of significant change at the company – across the US, Europe and Asia. 

In his last four years at Heinz, Schumacher was based in China, where he led a turnaround of the Asia Pacific zone. Schumacher began his career in finance at Unilever before joining Royal Ahold NV.

“We are delighted to welcome Hein as our new chief executive; he 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,” explains Unilever chairman Nils Andersen. 

The Board looks forward to Hein realizing the full potential of Unilever as a winning business that delivers long-term growth and value for all its stakeholders. His changes to the company’s strategy, structure and organization leave Unilever far better positioned for success. Alan Jope will continue to lead Unilever until the end of June. He will be retiring after a tremendous 37-year career with our business.”

“I am delighted to have been appointed to lead Unilever,” comments Schumacher. “It is a business with an impressive global footprint, a strong brand portfolio, a talented team and an enviable reputation as a leader in sustainability. I will focus on working with the Unilever team to improve business performance as we serve the billions of people worldwide who use its products daily.”

Edited by Elizabeth Green

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