Unilever ditches dual marketing director role

Unilever’s dual marketing directors in Australia & New Zealand are departing the FMCG giant causing a shake up in the marketing department.

Andrea Martens and Hugo Verkuil unusually took joint ownership of marketing after Peter Boone left in February 2013 with the company saying at the time the dual appointment was a “reflection on the overall accountability for business results that we place on the marketing function.”

However it appears their positions will now be consolidated back to one chief marketing officer role, who will be in charge of one of the largest marketing spends in Australia.

VP of marketing for home and personal care marketing Martens is leaving to take up a new role as chief brand officer at Jurlique, while VP of foods and refreshments Hugo Verkuil will be leaving the ANZ business to take a career break with his family, before what the company said was “his next assignment with Unilever”, which he has worked for for the last decade.