Paulus Gerardus Josephus Maria Polman (born 11 July 1956, Enschede, Netherlands)[1] is a Dutch business executive and author. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Unilever from 2009 to 2019.[2][3]
Following his departure from Unilever, Polman became active in sustainable finance and impact investing. He co-founded Imagine in 2019[4] and has served the Global Advisory Board of TPG’s Rise Funds alongside Bono and Jeffrey Skoll,[5] and is co-chair of EQT Future Mission Board with Jacob Wallenberg.[6] Polman is also co-author of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take.[7]
Early life and education
Polman was born and raised in Enschede, Netherlands, in a Catholic family with three brothers and two sisters. His father was a tire company executive, and his mother was a former schoolteacher.[8] He has said that as a teenager, he briefly considered joining the priesthood.[9]
Polman received an honorary doctorate from the University of Groningen in June 2014, during its 400th anniversary celebrations.[12]
In May 2018, he received a second honorary doctorate from George Mason University, where he also delivered the commencement address, speaking on social inclusion, responsibility, and collective action.[13]
Career
Procter & Gamble
Polman worked for Procter & Gamble (P&G) for 27 years, starting in 1979 as a cost analyst. He later served as managing director of P&G UK from 1995 to 1998, president of global fabric care from 1998 to 2001, and group president for P&G Europe in 2001.[14]
Nestlé
Polman joined Nestlé in 2006 as chief financial officer and in February 2008 became vice president and head of the Americas branch.[15][16][17]
Unilever
On 1 January 2009, Polman succeeded Patrick Cescau as chief executive officer of Unilever. Under his leadership, the company introduced the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan, aiming to decouple business growth from its environmental impact while increasing social impact.[18]
He discontinued short-term earnings guidance, stating that quarterly targets encouraged decisions that harmed long-term performance. Polman also said he aimed to increase the share of Unilever’s sales in emerging markets from 57 percent (up from 47 percent in 2008) to 70 percent.[19]
In 2013 and 2014, Unilever missed sales targets in six of eight quarters, prompting criticism from some shareholders, who questioned Polman’s emphasis on sustainability. Polman attributed the shortfalls to currency fluctuations and slower growth in emerging markets rather than company strategy.[20]
In 2016, Polman’s total compensation was €8.3 million, including a base salary of €1.2 million.[21]
A 2017 Bernstein report ranked Unilever first among peers for market-share gains not driven by acquisitions and rated the company “Outperform.”[citation needed]
In 2018, the Financial Times described Polman as a “standout CEO of the past decade.”[3]
Also in 2018, Unilever supported the abolition of the Dutch dividend tax,[22] despite public opposition in the Netherlands.[23]
In October 2018, Unilever cancelled plans to relocate its headquarters from London to Rotterdam.[24]
In November 2018, it was announced that Polman would step down as chief executive officer, with Alan Jope named as his successor, effective 1 January 2019.[25]
Systemiq / Imagine World
In July 2019, Polman announced the formation of a new group - Imagine World - to help combat poverty and climate change.[4] The foundation and corporation aims to help companies meet UN global goals for sustainable development. In 2022, Imagine World was acquired by Systemiq, of which Polman remains a board member as well as major shareholder.[26] Systemiq, a certified B-Corporation, is an environmental consultancy firm headquartered in London, focused on managing and promoting responsible change as well as performing research on climate topics.[27]
He has co-authored a report published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) that criticizes the efforts of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as not ambitious enough. Instead of aiming for an end to poverty by 2030, the report "An Ambitious Development Goal: Ending Hunger and Undernutrition by 2025" calls for a greater emphasis on eliminating hunger and undernutrition and achieving that in 5 years less, by 2025.[32]
Polman co-founded the Dutch Sustainable Growth Coalition, led by former Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende. He is a member of the World Economic Forum International Business Council,[33] the Global Taskforce for Scaling up Nutrition (SUN)[34] and was part of the European Resource Efficiency Platform Working Group,[35] chaired by European Commissioner Janez Potočnik. He was co-chair of the World Economic Forum 2012. He is a counsellor of One Young World[36] and trustee of the Leverhulme Trust. Polman was co-chair of the B-20 Food Security Taskforce.[37] Polman was on the board of Unilever from 2009 to 2019. He was formerly on the boards of Dow and Alcon. Polman is also part of the Leadership Vanguard, an initiative that seeks to identify, support and mobilize the next generation of leaders, focuses on redefining value.[38] He has been a member of IESE's International Advisory Board (IAB)[39] since 2015.
He is president of the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust, a foundation he created alongside fellow climber Erik Weihenmayer, to benefit blind children in Africa, and chair of the Perkins International Advisory Board.[citation needed]
In 2016, Polman was selected by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to be an SDG Advocate, tasked with helping build widespread support for the UN's SDGs.[40] He was again appointed in 2019 by the current Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres.[41]
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