The Board of Directors of Unilever Nigeria Plc has notified the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) of the appointment of Carl Raymond Cruz as the Company’s new Managing Director.

In a statement signed by the Company Secretary, Unilever Nigeria, Abidemi Ademola, the conglomerate explained that Cruz’s appointment is to take effect from 1 February 2020.

The appointment was reportedly one of the resolutions made when the Board of Directors met on January 8, 2020.

A look into Cruz’s profile: The Filipino is currently the Chairman of Unilever Sri Lanka. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from De La Salle University, Philippines. He comes with an extensive career in Unilever D & E Markets in Asia (Philipines, Thailand, India and Sri Lanka).

Since Cruz joined Unilever in 1992, he has gained over 26 years of experience working in customer development, and in marketing roles across Home Care, Beauty & Personal Care and Foods. Most recently, Cruz has successfully steered the business to a sustainable and competitive growth trajectory.

According to the statement, Cruz has done so well in terms of taking Unilever Sri Lanka to the next level.

“He has not only established Unilever Sri Lanka as a market leader across key categories but also as the most admired employer, despite some very challenging conditions, including the Horana Fire in 2016 and the Easter Sunday Attacks in 2019.

“Under Carl’s leadership, the Sri Lanka business is well-positioned to become a lean, agile and digitally-enabled organisation. Carl’s passion for inclusion, experimentation, and empowerment is reflected in his vision of Re-Imagine USL – a transformational journey, that he has led from the front.”