Unilever CEO Plans Replacing Quarter of Top 200 Managers

Unilever's CEO Fernando Fernandez is undertaking a significant leadership overhaul, planning to replace about 25% of the company's top 200 managers to eliminate what he calls "pockets of mediocrity." Since assuming the role in early 2025, Fernandez has emphasized accountability and faster decision-making, conducting one-by-one assessments of leaders to ensure they meet Unilever's standards. The company has also cut around 18% of its white-collar workforce over the last 18 months as part of a broader restructuring effort shifting from a geography-led to a category-led strategy. Fernandez aims to fast-track emerging talent and enhance incentive systems while targeting substantial cost savings, including 800 million euros by 2026. He attributed prior inconsistent performance partly to distractions from Kraft Heinz's takeover attempts, which hurt the company's focus on volume growth. This shakeup aligns with a wider trend among major companies demanding higher performance and agility from their leadership teams.