LONDON: Unilever today announced that Marijn Dekkers has decided to step down as Chairman of the Board with immediate effect. Nils Andersen, Non-Executive Director, has been appointed by the Board to succeed Marijn as Chairman of Unilever.

Marijn, who was appointed as Chairman of Unilever in April 2016, has chosen to stand down as Chairman so that he can focus on his growing responsibilities as Founder and Chairman of Novalis LifeSciences, the investment and advisory firm. He will continue to serve as a Non-Executive Director of Unilever.

Marijn said: “It has been a huge honour to serve as Chairman of Unilever and I am very proud of the work we continue to do as a truly purpose-driven company. My decision to step down has been a difficult one to make but I look forward to seeing Unilever go from strength to strength under Nils as Chairman.”

Nils Andersen has served on the Unilever Board since April 2015 and is currently a member of the Board’s Audit Committee. He has significant business experience and was previously Group Chief Executive Officer of A.P. Moller – Maersk A/S from 2007 to 2016 and President and Chief Executive Officer of Carlsberg A/S and Carlsberg Breweries A/S from 2001 to 2007.

Nils has served as Chairman at AkzoNobel N.V. since April 2018 and is a Non-Executive Director at BP plc. Nils also serves as Chairman of the privately-held Salling Group A/S. He intends to step down from his roles at BP plc and Salling Group A/S in March 2020, prior to the Unilever AGM.

Nils said: “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Marijn for his strong leadership and the contribution he has made as Chairman. I am very proud to have been asked to succeed Marijn and I look forward to working with the Board and the Unilever Leadership team to support the company’s continued growth.”

Nils will step down from the Audit Committee and be appointed as Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and as a member of the Compensation Committee. Marijn will remain as a member of the Compensation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.