Paul Polman
Paul Polman (born 11 July 1956, Enschede, Netherlands) is the CEO of the multinational Anglo-Dutch food and detergent company, Unilever.
Early life
From the University of Groningen he gained a BBA/BA in 1977. From the University of Cincinnati he gained an MA in Economics and an MBA in Finance and International Marketing (both) in 1979. He grew up in a town called Enschede and has 3 brothers and 2 sisters.
Career
He has worked for Procter & Gamble for 27 years (from 1979), initially as a Cost Analyst, becoming Managing Director of P&G UK from 1995-8, President Global Fabric Care from 1998–2001, and Group President Europe in 2001.
Nestlé
He then joined Nestlé in 2006 as Chief Financial Officer and head of the Americas At Nestlé, he was replaced by Luis Cantarell.
Unilever
On 1 January 2009, he succeeded Patrick Cescau as Chief Executive Officer of Unilever. This had been announced in September 2008. At this point in the company's (strictly) Anglo-Dutch history, its main headquarters are based in London and Rotterdam.
Recognition
Polman has received honorary doctorates from Northumbria University (LLD, 2000) and the University of Cincinnati (2009). In 2011, he gave the Durland Lecture at Cornell University.[1]
Polman was elected to the Dow Board of Directors in February 2010, and serves on the Compensation and Leadership Development Committee and the Environment, Health, Safety and Technology Committee.[2]
Personal life
He is married with three children and enjoys mountaineering, volleyball and classic car racing. He is President of Kilimanjaro Blindtrust and Chairman of Perkins International Advisory Board.
References
- ^ "Sustainable Business Models for the 21st Century". Cornell University. Retrieved 19 April 2011.
- ^ "Paul Polman". The Dow Chemical Company. Retrieved 17 October 2011.