Dive Brief:
- Unilever’s Chief Sustainability Officer Rebecca Marmot has stepped down from her role, the executive announced in a LinkedIn post Tuesday. Marmot also headed the consumer goods company’s corporate affairs division.
- Marmot will be succeeded by Michael Stewart, who joined Unilever two months ago as chief corporate affairs and communications officer. Stewart previously led the corporate affairs and communications division at accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers for nearly six years.
- The sustainability chief’s exit comes as Unilever undergoes a major corporate restructuring process. This includes spinning off its ice cream business into a separate company called Magnum, cutting around 25% of the group’s top 200 leadership roles and eliminating approximately 7,500 jobs globally.
Dive Insight:
Marmot joined Unilever in 2007 as global vice president in charge of the company’s then newly merged sustainability, global advocacy and policy unit, also serving on its global partnerships team, per her LinkedIn. Marmot has been Unilever’s CSO since 2019.
“Leading Unilever’s external engagement and sustainability work globally has been absolutely brilliant,” Marmot wrote in her Nov. 4 post. “I’ve had the chance to work with governments, investors, NGO’s, retailers, farmers and many more inspirational and interesting partners. From the genesis of the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan through to today, it has been an incredible experience.”
Under her tenure, Unilever has made significant progress toward achieving its sustainability goals, which include reaching net-zero across its value chain by 2039 and reducing its scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 100% by 2030, compared to a 2015 baseline.
The London-based multinational manufacturer — which supplies nutrition, hygiene, personal care products and more — said in its climate transition plan last year that it met a near-term 2025 target of slashing scope 1 and scope 2 emissions by 70% in 2023. At the time, the company said it reduced its operational emissions — scope 1 and 2 — primarily through increasing use of renewable electricity and energy efficiency programs.
Though Marmot said she would be “handing over the reins” to Stewart, Unilever has not confirmed what the corporate affairs and communication executive’s new title will be as he takes over the sustainability leadership role.
