Paul Polman

Paul Polman
Polman in 2014
Born
Paulus Gerardus Josephus Maria Polman

(1956-07-11) 11 July 1956 (age 68)
Enschede, Netherlands
EducationUniversity of Groningen
University of Cincinnati
OccupationBusinessman
Years active1979–
TitleFormer CEO, Unilever
Term2009-2019
PredecessorPatrick Cescau
SuccessorAlan Jope
SpouseKim
Children3
Websitepaulpolman.com

Paulus Gerardus Josephus Maria Polman, KBE[1] (born 11 July 1956[2]) is a Dutch businessman and author. He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of the British/Dutch consumer goods company Unilever.[3] Polman is also the co-author (with Andrew Winston) of Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take.[4]

Whilst CEO of Unilever from 2009 to 2019, he set an ambitious vision to fully decouple business growth from its overall environmental footprint and increase the company’s positive social impact through the Unilever Sustainable Living Plan.[5][6] During Polman’s tenure, he provided a return vastly superior to rivals and more than double that of the FTSE index.[7] In 2018, the Financial Times called Polman “a standout CEO of the past decade.”[8]

In 2019, alongside Jeff Seabright (formerly the Chief Sustainability Officer of Unilever) and others, he co-founded a new organisation called Imagine to help businesses "eradicate poverty and inequality, and stem runaway climate change".[9] In 2022, Imagine Consultancy was purchased by Systemiq, an environmental consultancy firm focused on essential system change, of which Polman is a board-member and major shareholder.[10]

Polman was also an early proponent of Net Positive investing, through which he invests in for-profit companies whose mission is to deliver both high impact and financial returns. Polman sits on the Founders Board of TPG Rise, a $7 billion social-impact fund, alongside Bono and Jeffrey Skoll.[11] Polman is also founding Co-Chair of EQT Future, a €3 billion long-hold impact fund, alongside Jacob Wallenberg.[12] Polman is also an active Venture Capital investor having participated in several high profile fundraises for climate and mission focused companies.[13] As a result of his work championing causes around climate change, inequality, and sustainability, Polman has become a prominent global figure in the push for more responsible business.[14]

  1. ^ "Honorary Awards" (PDF). Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  2. ^ Pitts, Gordon (10 March 2013). "Paul Polman: Rebuilding capitalism from the basics". The Globe and Mail.
  3. ^ "Paul Polman". Unilever global company website. Archived from the original on 2018-11-26. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  4. ^ "Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take". Net Positive. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ "Planet & Society". Unilever. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  7. ^ Abboud, Leila (2018-11-29). "High-flying Dutchman Polman divided opinion but leaves positive legacy". Financial Times. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  8. ^ Skapinker, Michael (2018-12-11). "Unilever's Paul Polman was a standout CEO of the past decade". Financial Times. Retrieved 2022-03-24.
  9. ^ "Unilever's Former Chief Moves On With Plan to Fix the World". Bloomberg. 4 July 2019. Retrieved 5 July 2019.
  10. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ "Founders Board | The Rise Fund". therisefund.com. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  12. ^ "EQT Future". eqtgroup.com. 2024-03-05. Retrieved 2024-03-22.
  13. ^ "WCAG Secures Funding". Private Equity Wire. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
  14. ^ "Unilever chief Paul Polman named Chair of ICC, world's largest business organisation". ICC - International Chamber of Commerce. 2018-06-21. Retrieved 2022-03-24.