Unilever nominates new Chief Legal Officer and Group Secretary

Unilever today announced that it had nominated Tonia Lovell as its next Chief Legal Officer and Group Secretary.

Chief Legal Officer and Group Secretary

Lovell, 41, will replace Steve Williams when he retires, later this year, after 24 years service in that role. To ensure a smooth transition, Lovell will work with Williams for a handover before formally taking over later in the year.

Tonia Lovell, who since 2003 has been General Counsel to the Unilever UK/Ireland business, will report directly to Chief Executive, Paul Polman, and will join the Unilever Executive. In addition to providing counsel to the Unilever Boards and the Unilever Executive, Lovell will head up the 175-strong legal network across the Unilever business.

Paul Polman, Chief Executive of Unilever, said: “Steve Williams has played a major role at Unilever throughout a long and distinguished career. His incisive wisdom and his sense of humour have won him many friends and admirers. He will be greatly missed.

“At the same time I would like to welcome Tonia as she takes on this very important role.”

Notes to Editors:

* Tonia Lovell has a BA Hons Law from Cambridge University and took the Legal Professional Practice Course at Guildford
* In 1991 she joined Linklaters before joining Unilever in 1997

Safe Harbour

This announcement may contain forward-looking statements, including ’forward-looking statements’ within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as ’expects’, ’anticipates’, ’intends’, ’believes’ or the negative of these terms and other similar expressions of future performance or results, including any financial objectives, and their negatives are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based upon current expectations and assumptions regarding anticipated developments and other factors affecting the Group. They are not historical facts, nor are they guarantees of future performance. Because these forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties, there are important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements, including, among others, competitive pricing and activities, consumption levels, costs, the ability to maintain and manage key customer relationships and supply chain sources, currency values, interest rates, the ability to integrate acquisitions and complete planned divestitures, the ability to complete planned restructuring activities, physical risks, environmental risks, the ability to manage regulatory, tax and legal matters and resolve pending matters within current estimates, legislative, fiscal and regulatory developments, political, economic and social conditions in the geographic markets where the Group operates and new or changed priorities of the Boards. Further details of potential risks and uncertainties affecting the Group are described in the Group’s filings with the London Stock Exchange, Euronext Amsterdam and the US Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Annual Report & Accounts on Form 20-F. These forward-looking statements speak only as of the date of this announcement. Except as required by any applicable law or regulation, the Group expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in the Group’s expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.