Unilever embarks on hunt for new chief executive
Unilever has embarked on a hunt to find a successor to chief executive Paul Polman, signaling the eventual exit of the veteran executive who is poised to vacate the hot seat after eight years in the job.
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The consumer goods behemoth is working with executive search firm Egon Zehnder for its hunt in a first step towards an eventual transition, although a formal recruitment process has yet to commence in earnest.
Competition for the job is likely to be intense as people look to compete to take hold of the reins to a raft of global brands ranging from Dove soap, to Lynx deodorant and Flora margarine – not to mention a generous benefits package that saw Polman earn €8.3m last year.
Any change at the top could be a while in coming however with Polman likely to remain in post for a further 18 months.
Unilever has been in process of a major consolidation drive since fending off a proposed takeover by Kraft Heinz, a process which could see it pull the plug on its UK headquarters in favour of the Netherlands – ending its dual corporate structure.