Paul Polman's Recent LinkedIn Posts

In 2017, Kraft Heinz launched a $143 billion hostile takeover bid for Unilever, where I was then CEO. The offer came with an 18% premium to shareholders, promising higher short-term returns funded by sweeping cuts to sustainability, R&D, jobs, and long-term investment. I won’t pretend the pressure wasn’t real. Def…

Reflections in Turbulent Times Every generation believes it is living through the most turbulent moment in history. And in many ways, every generation is right. But what matters is not the turbulence. It is what we choose to build in the middle of it. The headlines today can feel heavy, geopolitical tensions, cl…

Response to the Article on Unilever Executive Pay “If Unilever needs US-level CEO pay to attract talent, we have forgotten what leadership, and purpose, are about.” That was the claim in a recent article: https://lnkd.in/eGBr45Y3 It deserves a response because it goes to the heart of responsible business. I say…

In 2017, Kraft Heinz launched a $143 billion hostile takeover bid for Unilever, where I was then CEO. The offer came with an 18% premium to shareholders, promising higher short-term returns funded by sweeping cuts to sustainability, R&D, jobs, and long-term investment. I won’t pretend the pressure wasn’t real. Def…

Resilience is framed as the ability to “bounce back.” But that assumes disruption arrives in periods of heightened pressure followed by time to pause, regain balance, and recover. But as we move into 2026, disruption is no longer episodic, it is continuous. When leaders operate in a state of permanent exhaustion o…

Reflections in Turbulent Times Every generation believes it is living through the most turbulent moment in history. And in many ways, every generation is right. But what matters is not the turbulence. It is what we choose to build in the middle of it. The headlines today can feel heavy, geopolitical tensions, cl…