Unilever has announced that Marijn Dekkers will step down as chairman of the board with immediate effect. Dekkers, who was appointed in April 2016, made this decision so 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. The board has appointed Nils Andersen to succeed Dekkers as chairman.
“It has been a huge honor 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” said Dekkers.
Prior to acquiring the role of chairman, Andersen served on the Unilever board since April 2015 and is currently a member of the board’s audit committee.
“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” said Andersen.
Photo: Nils Anderson, courtesy of Unilever.