Unilever chairman resigns as company reports dairy growth

THE NETHERLANDS – Niall FitzGerald will retire from his position as Unilever chairman at the end of September.

Patrick Cescau, who is currently the foods director at Unilever, will succeed FitzGerald as chairman.

The news came as Unilever announced its fourth quarter and final results for 2003, which showed that the company as a whole had recorded a rise in profits of 29% over the previous year.

This was in part due to the company’s ‘path to growth’ strategy that has seen it dump a large cross-section of its brands to focus on its best performers. As a result, its turnover has fallen by 12%.

The company’s dairy products fared well in 2003, with ice cream in particular growing strongly. FitzGerald said this was partly thanks to the hot weather experienced across Europe last summer, but also innovations such as Magnum Seven Sins, seven different ice creams that were given limited release.