Ex-Unilever Côte d’Ivoire MD takes over as head of Nigerian operation

The board of Unilever Nigeria PLC has approved the resignation of Carl Cruz as managing director of the company with effect from May 4, 2023 as well as the appointment of Tim Kleinebenne as a replacement.

“On behalf of the board of directors, management, and staff of Unilever Nigeria, we would like to wish Cruz all the very best in his future endeavours and would like to express our sincere gratitude to him for his outstanding work, which delivered positive business turnaround and a significant increase in both turnovers and profits, thereby setting Unilever Nigeria on a path to sustainable and profitable growth after steering the company through the difficult years of the COVID-19 pandemic,” a statement issued by the company stated.

On the change, Unilever Africa President, Jaime Aguilera, said: “I would like to thank Cruz personally for his dedication and commitment to bringing Unilever’s Compass Strategy to life. He has delivered superb results at Unilever Nigeria by serving the Nigerian consumer and his work, ensuring the company continues to actively contribute to building a better society in Nigeria in its centenary year.

“I also want to welcome Kleinebenne to his new role where his skills as a resilient entrepreneur who can deploy business and market development strategies with speed and determination will take Unilever Nigeria to the next level.”

Kleinebenne graduated in business economics from the University of Hamburg, Germany, with 31 years of experience in the fast-moving consumer goods industry at Unilever.

Until his appointment, Kleinebenne was the managing director of Unilever Côte d’Ivoire and had also served as managing director of Unilever Ethiopia where he established the business and built it into a leading local brand. He was also in charge of Unilever Caribbean.