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PLC has appointed Hein Schumacher as its new chief executive, tapping the head of a European dairy cooperative to lead its effort to reinvigorate growth and navigate economic uncertainty.
The owner of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream and Dove soap said Monday that Mr. Schumacher would become CEO on July 1. He succeeds incumbent Alan Jope, who the company said in September would retire this year.
The CEO change comes as Unilever looks to boost growth across its sprawling portfolio, while grappling with rising input costs, changing consumer trends and broad economic uncertainty.
Mr. Schumacher is currently CEO of Royal FrieslandCampina, a dairy and nutrition business based in the Netherlands, and joined Unilever’s board as a nonexecutive director in October.
Unilever said Mr. Schumacher had delivered significant portfolio and organizational change at Royal FrieslandCampina, which operates in more than 40 countries, and had previously worked for Heinz, including leading a turnaround of its Asia-Pacific operations. Mr. Schumacher, 51, started his career in finance at Unilever.
In a statement Monday, Mr. Schumacher said he would be “focused on working with the Unilever team to deliver a step-up in business performance.”
Outgoing boss Mr. Jope came under pressure last year from some investors after a botched multibillion-dollar bid for the consumer-healthcare business now known as Haleon PLC. He also contended with the emergence of activist investor Nelson Peltz’s Trian Fund Management LP as one of Unilever’s largest shareholders.
Write to Peter Stiff at peter.stiff@wsj.com
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