Unilever Plc Chief Executive Officer Alan Jope plans to retire at the end of next year following a tumultuous period where the company botched a potential £50 billion ($53 billion) deal and irked investors with lackluster growth.
Jope, a long-term veteran of the consumer goods company, will leave after only five years in the role, with no named successor currently in place. The shares rose as much as 3.7% in early London trading.
The move comes after Jope tried unsuccessfully to buy GSK Plc’s consumer health unit earlier this year and less than three months after activist investor Nelson Peltz