Latest news with #JochananSenf
Yahoo
14-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unilever names Jochanan Senf as new Ben & Jerry's CEO
Unilever has appointed Jochanan Senf as the CEO of Ben Jerry's following the exit of former Dave Stever as the head of the subsidiary in March. According to Ben & Jerry's independent board, Stever was ousted earlier this year for defending the company's social activism on issues like immigration, Black Lives Matter and pro-Palestinian protests. In March, Ben & Jerry's filed a case in New York accusing Unilever of removing Stever without the approval of the subsidiary's own board. The move, Ben & Jerry's contested, violated an agreement meant to protect its independence and social activism. Under the terms of its acquisition of Ben & Jerry's in 2000, Unilever agreed to retain an independent board of directors at the Vermont-based business who were focused on maintaining the brand's social mission. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Ben & Jerry's board was not given the chance to interview candidates to succeed Stever. Just Food has asked Unilever to comment. Disagreements between the businesses originated in 2021 when Ben & Jerry's announced it was halting sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, causing a backlash in Israel which threatened a boycott of Unilever products. In June 2022, Unilever sold its ice cream operation in the country in an attempt to draw a line under a damaging diplomatic row. Last November, Ben & Jerry's filed a lawsuit saying Unilever had tried to stop it from expressing support for Palestinian refugees. Unilever denied the claims. In February, in another court filing, Ben & Jerry's said its owner had tried to ban it from publicly criticising US President Donald Trump. Unilever is planning to spin off its ice-cream business later this year with the new company to be listed in Amsterdam, London and New York. In a statement from Unilever, the FMCG giant described Senf as an 'ice cream veteran' adding his career has been 'deeply entwined with Ben & Jerry's'. According to Senf's LinkedIn profile, he spent seven years at Ben & Jerry's as MD for its business in Europe. Senf has spent more than 20 years at Unilever included the role at Ben & Jerry's. Since 2022, he has been the general manager for Unilever's food business in the DACH markets. The statement said: 'This experience allowed him to learn first-hand the importance and power of Ben & Jerry's unique three-part mission – product, economic and social – and how this is instrumental to the success of the business and its impact on communities. In 2024, Unilever's ice-cream business generated a turnover of €8.3bn ($9.7bn), up 4.5% on a year earlier. The demerged business will be called The Magnum Ice Cream Company and based in the Netherlands. "Unilever names Jochanan Senf as new Ben & Jerry's CEO" was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Unilever names new CEO for Ben & Jerry's amid board dispute
This story was originally published on Food Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Food Dive newsletter. Unilever named Jochanan Senf as the CEO for Ben & Jerry's in the latest salvo in an ongoing dispute with the top-selling ice cream brand's board. Senf has worked closely with the Ben & Jerry's brand for seven years, Unilever said in a statement, giving him firsthand knowledge of the offering's product, as well as its economic and social impact. The announcement comes as Ben & Jerry's has been ensnarled in a legal fight with Unilever over the removal of the ice cream's former CEO, Dave Stever. Ben & Jerry's claimed its parent company fired Stever for backing the brand's social mission and not because of his job performance. The Cherry Garcia maker stated in a court filing earlier this year that Unilever has 'repeatedly threatened Ben & Jerry's personnel, including CEO David Stever, should they fail to comply with Unilever's efforts to silence' its social mission. The brand has accused Unilever of demanding it stop publicly criticizing President Donald Trump. Ben & Jerry's also claims its parent company tried to block it from making public statements advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza. As part of Unilever's deal to acquire Ben & Jerry's in 2000, the companies agreed the ice cream brand's independent board would be free to pursue its social mission, but that the London-based CPG company would have the final say on financial and operational matters. Ben & Jerry's board wasn't allowed to interview candidates for Stever's successor and was excluded from the appointment process, according to The Wall Street Journal. The business publication cited a staff memo from the head of Unilever's ice cream unit, which said the company 'took every step to collaborate in good faith' with the independent board at Ben & Jerry's. Unilever is planning to spin off its ice cream business, which includes Ben & Jerry's, later this year. The new company will be called The Magnum Ice Cream Company. Ben & Jerry's was the leading ice cream brand in the U.S., with $951 million in sales during 2023, according to data from Statista. Mintel estimated the U.S. ice cream market is valued at more than $19 billion. Recommended Reading Ben & Jerry's says CEO fired by Unilever over social activism
New York Post
11-07-2025
- Business
- New York Post
Unilever appoints new Ben & Jerry's CEO as battle over board's lefty politics heats up
Unilever has appointed a new CEO to lead Ben & Jerry's as its battle over the ice cream brand's lefty politics heats up, according to a report Friday. Jochanan Senf, a Dutch Unilever executive who previously managed Ben & Jerry's Europe business, will start in the new role this month after the British parent company abruptly axed former CEO David Stever, according to the Wall Street Journal. In a court filing in March, Ben & Jerry's independent board — which manages the Vermont-based company's social activism and mission — had accused Unilever of firing Stever, who started as a tour guide for the brand's Waterbury factory in 1988. Advertisement 4 Jochanan Senf will take over Ben & Jerry's. LinkedIn / Jochanan Senf 4 Former CEO Dave Stever (left) at the company's Free Cone Day at the Waterbury factory. Ben & Jerry's The board — which was created and given power over management as a stipulation in the acquisition agreement when Unilever took over the company in 2000 — was not allowed to interview candidates to replace Stever, a source familiar with the matter told the Journal. The board also was excluded from the appointment process over the board's political activism – including support for anti-Trump policies and protests against Israel's handling of the war in Gaza, according to the report that cited unnamed sources. Advertisement 'Any claims that the Independent Board was excluded from the search process are simply incorrect – they have been offered to participate in good faith and to share their views, but declined to do so,' a spokesperson for the Magnum Ice Cream Company told The Post in a statement. Ben & Jerry's did not immediately respond to The Post's requests for comment. The company 'took every step to collaborate in good faith' with the board throughout the appointment process, Peter ter Kulve, who runs Unilever's ice cream unit, wrote in a memo to staff on Thursday, according to the Journal. Advertisement Unilever encouraged members of the board's appointment committee to interview candidates and share feedback, he said. 'The response from the Independent Board was to decline our requests, delay our timing and/or threaten litigation.' 4 Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen, co-founders of Ben & Jerry's, worked with a 'Get out the Vote' campaign for then-vice president Kamala Harris during her presidential campaign. Getty Images for MoveOn Unilever's firing of Stever broke its merger agreement with Ben & Jerry's, which 'protects Ben & Jerry's interest by precluding the unilateral removal of its CEO,' according to the complaint filed in March. Advertisement The parent company responded that it has the authority to appoint a new chief executive and that it would only do so after speaking with the board. Unilever is planning to spin off its ice cream unit this year, renamed the Magnum Ice Cream Company. It will be listed in the Netherlands as a separate company. 4 Unilever is planning to spin off its ice cream unit, including Ben & Jerry's, and rename it the Magnum Ice Cream Company. REUTERS Earlier this year, when it announced the spin off, Unilever made clear it has no intention of selling Ben & Jerry's – despite a bid from its liberal founders. Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, childhood friends from Long Island, NY, created the company – known for funky flavors like Chunky Monkey and Phish Food – in 1978. It later sold the brand to Unilever for $326 million.
Wall Street Journal
10-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Unilever Picks New Ben & Jerry's CEO, Escalating Dispute with Independent Board
Unilever ULVR 1.87%increase; green up pointing triangle has appointed a new CEO for Ben & Jerry's, continuing a dispute with the ice-cream brand's independent board. Jochanan Senf, a longtime Unilever executive who previously served as managing director of Ben & Jerry's Europe business, will start in the new role this month.
