Aline Santos (below), Unilever's chief brand officer (and chief equity, diversity and inclusion officer), is stepping down after 35 years with the company. She contributed to various her Dove campaigns and her OMO/Persil's “Dirt is Good”.
Esi Eggleston Bracey, chief growth and marketing officer (one might wonder how different the two previously co-existing jobs were) has taken over her marketing responsibilities, with Global Equities; The Diversity and Inclusion team will move into the HR department. Some may think of the HR department as the corporate equivalent. Siberia.
All of this comes as the consumer goods giant's new CEO Hein Schumacher, a former Dutch dairy executive, joins the company's board of directors, as does Nelson Peltz, a veteran shareholder value-focused company. This is a sign of quite dramatic change.
Santos says. “I'm leaving Unilever at the end of March to embark on a brand new adventure (details I don't even know myself). Am I nervous? Yes! But I'm also prepared to embrace the unknown. She paid tribute to her many colleagues during her long career.
There is little question that Unilever needs to step up its game after starting its career on a purpose-driven path, but under the new, more rigorous structure, many of its successful and creative marketing efforts will be cut short. It would be a shame if it became a thing of the past. It would be no surprise if advertising budgets were cut (Unilever is currently reviewing its media accounts).
In some ways, Santos pitched very well in 2016 as he added diversity and inclusion responsibilities. There was a huge craze for diversity and inclusivity executives, particularly in agency holding companies, during and after lockdown, but many seem to have quietly gone away. Maybe it's time they actually tried to do something with the military instead of keeping it quiet and keeping a low profile.
In today's climate, top managers are under perhaps more scrutiny than ever before, but when more light is shed on their actions, you wonder why. The various chief eateries in the upper echelons of today's large corporations (and even mid-sized agencies) tell their own stories.
