Unilever appoints new Chair
Unilever, the owner of Dove and Vaseline, has named Ian Meakins as its new Non-Executive Director and Chair Designate.
Meakins will join Unilever from 1 September 2023, before succeeding Nils Andersen as Chair on 1 December 2023. Andersen will step down after nine years of service, at Unilever’s Annual General Meeting in May 2024.
Currently Chair of British food service firm Compass Group and energy company Rexel SA, Meakins will bring global business experience across a diverse range of industries to Unilever.
His previous experience includes CEO of Wolseley (now Ferguson), Travelex Holdings and Alliance Unichem, as well as various other positions at Diageo, Bain & Company and Procter & Gamble.
He said: "It is a great honour to have been asked to succeed Nils as Chair of Unilever. I look forward to working with the team to help realise Unilever’s full potential and create value for all its stakeholders."
The move follows the appointment of Hein Schumacher as CEO of Unilever earlier this year, following an "extensive, global search process". Schumacher replaced Alan Jope, who announced his intention to retire from the company in September 2022.
