Unilever announces Dr Marijn Dekkers as new chairman
Dekkers moves to Unilever from Bayer AG where he is currently serving as CEO, and succeeds Treschow who will retire at the 2016 AGMs having served Unilever's usual maximum tenure of nine years as Chairman.
“I am honoured to have been invited by the Boards to become Unilever's Chairman and to help contribute to the purpose, vision and strategy of this Group,” says Dekkers.
“It is a great business, with great brands and an unequalled global reach. I know Paul Polman as an outstanding global leader and he and I are looking forward immensely to working together in the future.”
Treschow, who joined the Unilever Boards in 2007 and was the first independent, non-executive Chairman of Unilever, also speaks highly of his successor stating that he has no doubt that the Dove skin care maker will benefit from “his knowledge, international experience and his strong belief in driving business growth responsibly and in the long term.”
Ann Fudge, Vice-Chairman and Senior Independent Director adds: “The Boards of Unilever are delighted to make this appointment. Our Nomination and Corporate Governance Committee conducted a thorough search. We set the bar high and I'm delighted our efforts have yielded such an excellent result.”
Unilever also paoid a special tribute to the outgoing Treschow for his ‘significant contribution’, having led the company through one of its most successful periods
“His strong leadership and commitment to sustainability and building long term profitable growth have been hallmarks of his Chairmanship and we wish him well in the years ahead,” says Fudge.
AGM proposals
Unilever also announced that in addition to Michael Treschow, Hixonia Nyasulu will be retiring from the Unilever Boards at the conclusion of the 2016 AGMs having also served for nine years.
It is proposed that Strive Masiyiwa, founder and executive chairman of global telecommunications group Econet Wireless, and Professor Youngme Moon, who is senior associate dean for strategy and innovation at Harvard Business School, join the Boards as Non-Executive Directors and they will be nominated for election to the Boards at the 2016 AGMs.
As previously announced it is also proposed that Graeme Pitkethly will be nominated for election to the Boards as an Executive Director in the role of Chief Financial Officer at the 2016 AGMs.
The following Directors will offer themselves for re-election at the 2016 AGMs: Nils Andersen, Laura Cha, Vittorio Colao, Louise Fresco, Ann Fudge, Judith Hartmann, Mary Ma, Paul Polman, John Rishton and Feike Sijbesma.
