The outgoing boss – who became chief executive officer in July 2023 – has also led efforts to offload its Ben & Jerry’s and Wall’s ice cream division, announcing plans earlier this month to spin it off with a stock market listing in Amsterdam, alongside additional listings in London and New York.
Unilever chairman Ian Meakins said: “I would like to thank Hein for resetting Unilever’s strategy, for the focus and discipline he has brought to the company and for the solid financial progress delivered during 2024.
Unilever chief executive Hein Schumacher will leave next month after less than two years in the top job, the consumer goods giant has revealed.
Hein Schumacher will leave the role ‘by mutual agreement’ on March 1, replaced by chief financial officer Fernando Fernandez.
Shares in FTSE 100 listed Unilever fell 3 per cent in early trading on Tuesday after it announced the unexpected changeover at the top, though clawed back some of that ground to sit around two per cent down for the day by 9am GMT.
