Unilever Exits: Conny Braams, Graeme Pitkethly Departing
Unilever announced leadership changes, with Conny Braams, chief digital and commercial officer, set to depart the company in August and CFO Graeme Pitkethly retiring next May.
Braams, who is the company’s marketing leader and a member of the No. 5 publicly owned consumer goods company’s leadership team, has held the role since April 2022 and has been with the company for over three decades. Her previous title included chief digital and marketing officer, and she oversaw Unilever’s end-to-end digital transformation, as well as its marketing and customer development worldwide.
Pitkethly, meanwhile, joined Unilever in 2002 and has held such roles as executive VP and general manager of Unilever’s U.K. and Ireland business, as well as senior VP of finance for global markets and global head of M&A.
Their departures from the company accompany a larger environment of change at Unilever, which restructured into five business groups last year and is set to welcome its new CEO, Hein Schumacher, July 1. Schumacher will replace Alan Jope following a one-month handover period.
Unilever said it will undertake an internal and external search for its new CFO successor, with Braams’ successor announced at a later date.
Digital Leadership
When Braams assumed the chief digital and commercial officer role, it was a new position for the company. Under her tenure, Unilever prepared its teams for the potential advent of the metaverse and other virtual experiences and evovled to meet consumers’ sustainability priorities as the company pushed forward on acquiring “purpose-driven brands.”
Prior to taking on the position, she also previously served as executive VP of Middle Europe and EVP food solutions for Asia, Africa and Middle East, leading those regions’ digital transformations. Braams, who got her start at Unilever as a marketing trainee in 1990, has been a member of the leadership team since 2020.
