3
Paul Polman
CEO, Unilever
Last ranked: 1
At the pinnacle of our power rankings in 2013, Polman has faced an uphill struggle at Unilever ever since, reflected by his slide to number three. Sales in 2014 declined by 2.7% to £37.05bn, he announced in January this year, a figure below expectations, which led to shares dropping by 2.5%.
It won’t have been buoyed further by the stark warning from Polman that these “challenging” conditions for the industry are unlikely to show significant improvement in the year ahead, with prospects in emerging markets also hampered by tough economic climates.
Yet despite this, the former P&G man Polman remains a dynamic figurehead at the helm of the fmcg giant, and the dip in revenue fails to tell the whole story. Looking at the big picture, the group’s profits are heading in the right direction, which suggests a strategic decision to focus on underlying profitability over and above increased volume.
And beyond the balance sheet, the group continues to pursue the ambitious goal, contained within the CEO’s much lauded Sustainable Living Plan, to double in size, while reducing its environmental footprint.
It has also ramped up its social responsibility quota further with the launch of Project Sunlight, its sustainable living campaign, which it has backed with a series of lavishly produced TV ads. So it would be hard to disagree that the Dutch CEO remains a bold and forward thinking leader, unafraid to shake up the status quo, or to stand up to shareholders where needed to drive forward the business.
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