Share

Unilever’s former chief moves on with plan to fix the world

Paul Polman, the Dutchman who ran Unilever for almost a decade with a social slant, will push further in that direction now that he’s leaving - creating a group to help combat poverty and climate change.

The foundation and corporation, called Imagine, will work with companies to press for meeting global goals for sustainable development. The 62-year-old executive will invest an unspecified amount of his own funds.

“The imperative to eradicate poverty and inequality and stem runaway climate change has never been more acute,” Polman wrote in an email to former colleagues and business contacts detailing his new project. What’s more, “we still miss the collective sense of urgency to move at scale and speed.”

Polman this week ended a nearly decade-long tenure at the consumer-goods group during which he crisscrossed the world to meet with heads of state and form alliances with non-profit groups to promote capitalism with a feel-good twist. He directed Unilever to install toilets in Africa through its Domestos brand and encouraged Asian schoolchildren to wash their hands - using the company’s Lifebuoy soap - to reduce disease spread.

“Even a company like Unilever can only do so much,” he wrote. “We have a fight against the clock here.”

Polman said he regards the private sector as the “main engine for change.” Valerie Keller and Jeff Seabright, Unilever’s chief sustainability officer, are co-founders of Imagine.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent Crude
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Company Snapshot
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE
Government tenders

Find public sector tender opportunities in South Africa here.

Government tenders
This portal provides access to information on all tenders made by all public sector organisations in all spheres of government.
Browse tenders