Huët, 46, will remain in his role until 1 October 2015 to help transition to his successor, Graeme Pitkethly, 48, who has been at the company for 13 years and is currently Executive Vice President of the Unilever UK and Ireland business.
There was no particular reason given for Huët’s departure although he has said he will consider new opportunities.
This will have to be done away from anything related to the Anglo-Dutch consumer goods giant or after 1 April 2016 due to an agreement in his contract.
“I have had an excellent and very rewarding period of time at Unilever and fully achieved what I set out to do when I joined the organisation in 2010,” says Huët.
“I am delighted with the progress Unilever has made over the past five and a half years and particularly the work we have done to strengthen the overall Finance function. I am now looking forward to ensuring a seamless transition to my successor, Graeme Pitkethly, and then spending some time deciding what new opportunities to pursue.”
The announcement comes at a time when Unilever had posted an improved sales performance in the first quarter of the year signalling a turnaround for the firm with the outlook seeming positive, following a challenging 2014.
“I would like to thank Jean-Marc for the contributions he has made over the past five and a half years,” says Paul Polman, Chief Executive of Unilever. “He leaves Unilever with the Group in sound financial health and with the Finance function significantly revitalised. We all wish him every success in the future.”
New role
“Importantly, he has helped to build and strengthen Unilever’s standing with the financial community and has spent considerable time in developing a strong internal talent pipeline, which is today reflected in the appointment of Graeme Pitkethly.”
Prior to his current role, Pitkethly was the Senior Vice President Finance of the Global Markets Operation, and held a number of senior financial roles within Unilever, including Head of M&A, Head of Treasury, Pensions and Tax and Chief Financial Officer of Unilever Indonesia.
“We welcome Graeme as Unilever’s Chief Financial Officer and a member of the Unilever Leadership Executive as of 1 October 2015,” continues Polman.
“His broad financial experience, deep operating knowledge and track-record in both business and people development make him an ideal addition to help Unilever through the next stages of its transformation to a sustainable competitive and profitable company in its industry.”