LONDON — Hein Schumacher has been named the new chief executive officer of Unilever PLC. He will replace Alan Jope on July 1.
Mr. Schumacher is currently the CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina and a non-executive director of Unilever. Prior to joining FrieslandCampina in 2014 as chief financial officer, Mr. Schumacher worked for the H.J. Heinz Co.
“Hein is a dynamic, values-driven business leader who has a diverse background of experiences and an excellent track record of delivery in the global consumer goods industry,” said Nils Anderson, chairman of Unilever’s board. “He has exceptional strategic capabilities, proven operational effectiveness, and strong experience in both developed and developing markets.”
Mr. Jope announced his intention to retire from Unileverin September 2022. He became CEO in 2019 and has spent much of his tenure as leader of the company reshaping its portfolio. Most recently the company sold some of its tea business to CVC Capital Partners for $4.7 billion. The company also has made investments in the market for plant-based foods. In 2018, Unilever acquired The Vegetarian Butcher and in 2020 set a goal of achieving $1 billion in the sales of plant-baseddairyand meat alternatives.