Alan Jope | |
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Born | 1964 (age 60–61) Glasgow, Scotland, UK |
Occupation | Businessman |
Title | Former CEO of Unilever |
Term | 2019–2023 |
Predecessor | Paul Polman |
Successor | Hein Schumacher |
Alan Jope CBE (born 1964) is a British businessman. He was Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unilever from January 2019 until June 2023, succeeding Paul Polman. [1] Upon stepping down as CEO of Unilever, Jope was succeeded by Hein Schumacher who took on the role from July 2023. [2]
In the 2024 Birthday Honours, Jope was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) for services to business. [3]
Jope was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1964. [4] He earned a bachelor of commerce degree from the University of Edinburgh Business School. [5] He attended Harvard Business School's general management program in 2001. [6]
Jope joined Unilever in 1985 as a graduate marketing trainee. [1] He was the president of Beauty & Personal Care, the largest division at Unilever. [1] He has had stints running several operations including China. [7]
From 2009, Jope led Unilever's business in China and North Asia, doubling its size and laying important foundations for future success. [8] He was appointed to Unilever's leadership executive in 2011 in his role as president of Unilever's businesses across North Asia. Previous senior roles also included President Russia, Africa & Middle East; and President of Unilever's Beauty & Personal Care division. Earlier, Jope worked in a number of sales and marketing roles in the UK, Thailand and the US. [6] He was appointed CEO in 2019 and worked until June 2023. Under his tenure shares gained just over 10%, recovering from a four year low. [9]
Jope has been a trustee of the Leverhulme Trust - which gives grants and scholarships of over £120million a year across arts, sciences, social sciences and humanities - since 2021, and Chair since August 2024. [10]
In 2023 Jope became a non-executive director at Accenture [11] and a commissioner at the Global Commission on Modern Slavery & Human Trafficking. [12]
He is a Visiting Fellow at the University of Oxford Saïd Business School, [13] a guest lecturer at the Royal Society of Arts, [14] once appeared as a guest judge, with Donald Trump, in reality TV show The Apprentice, [15] and is Chair of the British Business Awards. [16]
Jope is married, with three children. [6]