Blueprint
FORM 6-K
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
REPORT OF
FOREIGN ISSUER
Pursuant
to Rule 13a-16 or 15d-16
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
For the
month of November, 2018
UNILEVER
N.V.
(Translation
of registrant's name into English)
WEENA 455, 3013 AL, P.O. BOX 760, 3000 DK, ROTTERDAM, THE
NETHERLANDS
(Address
of principal executive offices)
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual
reports
under
cover Form 20-F or Form 40-F.
Form
20-F..X.. Form 40-F
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in
paper
as
permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1):_____
Indicate
by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in
paper
as
permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7):_____
Indicate
by check mark whether the registrant by furnishing the
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in this Form is also thereby furnishing the information to
the
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pursuant to Rule 12g3-2(b) under the Securities Exchange Act of
1934.
Yes
No ..X..
If
"Yes" is marked, indicate below the file number assigned to the
registrant
in
connection with Rule 12g3-2(b): 82- ________
Exhibit
99 attached hereto is incorporated herein by
reference.
Signatures
Pursuant
to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the
registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf
by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.
UNILEVER
N.V.
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/S/ R SOTAMAA
BY R SOTAMAA
CHIEF LEGAL OFFICER AND GROUP SECRETARY
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Date:
29 November 2018
EXHIBIT INDEX
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EXHIBIT
NUMBER
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EXHIBIT
DESCRIPTION
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99
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Notice
to Euronext, Amsterdam dated 29 November 2018
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Unilever CEO Announcement
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Exhibit
99
Unilever CEO
Announcement
Paul Polman to retire; Alan Jope appointed as
successor
London / Rotterdam, 29 November 2018: Unilever today announced that CEO Paul Polman
has decided to retire from the company. Alan Jope, currently
President, Beauty & Personal Care, has been appointed to the
position, effective 1 January 2019, with Polman supporting the
transition process during the first half of the
year.
Paul Polman has been Unilever CEO for over 10 years and has worked
in the consumer goods industry for almost four decades. During his
tenure, the company has delivered consistent top and bottom line
growth ahead of its markets. Its focus on successfully pioneering a
new model of sustainable growth has served the needs of its many
stakeholders and created excellent returns for its shareholders,
delivering a Total Shareholder Return of 290% over that
period.
Alan Jope, 54, has led Beauty & Personal Care, Unilever's
largest Division, since 2014 and has been on the company's
Leadership Executive since 2011. He has an excellent track record
of leading Unilever's business in both developed and emerging
markets, having run the company's North Asia business for four
years, served as President, Russia, Africa & Middle East, and
spent over a decade in senior Foods, Home Care and Personal Care
roles for Unilever US. Alan joined the company as a graduate
marketing trainee in 1985.
Unilever Chairman Marijn Dekkers said: "Paul is an exceptional
business leader who has transformed Unilever, making it one of the
best-performing companies in its sector, and one of the most
admired businesses in the world. His role in helping to define a
new era of responsible capitalism, embodied in the Unilever
Sustainable Living Plan, marks him out as one of the most
far-sighted business leaders of his generation.
"Paul's vision, drive and performance focus, combined with his
commitment to serving the best long-term interests of the company,
have materially strengthened Unilever. He leaves a more agile and
resilient company, well placed to win in this fast-changing,
dynamic industry. I'd like to thank him personally, and on behalf
of the Board, for his contribution to Unilever.
"After a rigorous and wide-ranging selection process, the Board is
delighted to appoint Alan to the role. Having worked for Unilever
in a variety of senior management roles, Alan has a deep
understanding and experience of our business, the industry, and the
markets in which we operate. He is a strong, dynamic and
values-driven leader with an impressive track record of delivering
consistent high-quality performance. The Board warmly welcomes Alan
to the role and wishes him every success."
Paul Polman said: "I congratulate Alan on his appointment and look
forward to working with him on the transition. Having worked
closely with Alan for many years, I am highly confident that under
his leadership, Unilever will prosper long into the future. His
appointment demonstrates the strength of Unilever's succession
planning and talent pipeline.
"It has been an honour to lead Unilever over the last 10 years.
Throughout this time, I have been humbled by the commitment and
hard work of our people, and their passion for creating a truly
purpose-driven company. I am very grateful to them, as I am to
Unilever's many other stakeholders, with whom we have worked to
build our long-term, sustainable business. I look forward to
engaging with many of these partners - in a different capacity - to
help address the many environmental and social challenges facing
the world."
Alan Jope said: "It will be a huge privilege to lead Unilever - a
truly global company full of talented people, and brilliant brands.
Over the 30 years I have worked at Unilever, I have seen the many
ways in which our brands improve people's lives, positively
impacting more than 2 billion citizens every day.
"Our global footprint includes strong positions in many important
markets for the future and our focus will remain on serving our
consumers, and our other multiple stakeholders, to deliver
long-term growth and value creation.
"I'd also like to extend my gratitude to Paul for his remarkable
leadership of Unilever and look forward to working closely with him
during the transition."
Polman will retire as CEO and as a Board member on 31 December
2018. He will support the transition process in the first half of
2019 and will leave the company in early July.
A successor to the role of President, Beauty & Personal Care
will be announced shortly.
_________________________
Media
Enquiries:
Lucila Zambrano
(UK)
+44 7825273767
lucila.zambrano@unilever.com
Jonathan Sibun
(UK)
jsibun@tulchangroup.com
+44 7779999683
Fleur van-Bruggen
(NL)
fleur-van.bruggen@unilever.com
+31 615 008293
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Investors Enquiries:
Investor
Relations
+44 207 8226830
investor.relations@unilever.com
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NOTES TO EDITORS
Paul Polman, Biography
Paul Polman joined Unilever as CEO in January 2009. Over the last
10 years, Unilever has:
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achieved consistent top and bottom line growth,
ahead of its markets;
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grown its presence in emerging markets, from 47%
of Group turnover to nearly 60% of Group
turnover;
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reshaped its portfolio, making more than 50
acquisitions;
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invested significantly in its brands, with Kantar
Worldpanel naming 12 of Unilever's brands in the world's top 50 -
more than any other company;
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helped more than 600m people improve their health
& hygiene, improved the livelihoods of over 700,000 smallholder
farmers and 1.6m small-scale retailers, reduced its waste impact by
29% and now sources 56% of its agricultural raw materials
sustainably;
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launched the first-of-its kind Human Rights
Report, in accordance with the UN Guiding Principles Reporting
Framework;
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led its Industry or Sector in the Dow Jones
Sustainability Index (DJSI) for nine out of 10
years;
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been ranked by Globescan as the top global
corporate sustainability leader for the last eight
years;
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delivered a Total Shareholder Return of
290%.
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Paul is also Chair of the International Chamber of Commerce, a
member of the International Business Council of the World Economic
Forum, Chair of The B-Team, vice-chair of the UN Global Compact,
Chair of the Global Advisory Board of One Young World, and a board
member of the Consumer Goods Forum. He has been on the Board of Dow
since 2010 and DowDuPont since 2017.
In recognition of Unilever's commitment to a long-term,
multi-stakeholder business model, Paul has received numerous awards
and accolades during his tenure. These include the Rainforest
Alliance Lifetime Achievement Award, the Oslo Business for Peace
Award, the UN Environment Programme's Champion of the Earth Award
and the Singapore Government Public Service Star. In 2016, he
received France's Chevalier de la Légion d'Honneur in
recognition of his efforts in galvanising business action on
sustainability. In 2018, he was named an Honorary Knight Commander
of the Order of the British Empire (KBE) for services to business
and received the Treaties of Nijmegen Medal, in recognition of his
contribution to building a more sustainable world.
He earned a BBA/BA from the University of Groningen, Netherlands,
in 1977 and an MA Economics and MBA finance/international marketing
from the University of Cincinnati in 1979. He has been awarded
honorary degrees from a number of Universities, including
Northumbria, Liverpool, Groningen, Cincinnati, and an honorary
Doctorate of Science from the University of Cranfield.
Paul is married with three children. In a personal capacity, Paul
is Chairman of Perkins School for the Blind International Advisory
Board and serves as President of the Kilimanjaro Blind
Trust.
Alan Jope, Biography
Alan Jope has extensive experience across many of Unilever's
markets globally. Alan was born in Scotland and joined
Unilever in London in 1985, subsequently living and working in
North America for 14 years and in Asia for 13 years. He is
currently serving as President, Beauty & Personal Care (BPC),
Unilever's largest Division with annual turnover of €21bn in
2017, which accounts for around 40% of Unilever's revenues and
almost 50% of operating profit.
From 2009 Alan led Unilever's business in China and North Asia,
doubling its size and laying important foundations for future
success. He was appointed to Unilever's Leadership Executive
in 2011. His previous senior roles have also included President,
Russia, Africa & Middle East, global category leader for
several of Unilever's Foods businesses, and President of Unilever's
Home & Personal Care business in North America. Earlier, Alan
worked in a number of sales and marketing roles in the UK,
Thailand, and the US.
Alan holds a Bachelor of Commerce with honours from Edinburgh
University, Scotland. He also graduated from Harvard Business
School's General Management Program in 2001. Alan is married and
has three children.
Remuneration Disclosure
Paul Polman
Paul Polman will be treated in accordance with Unilever's approved
remuneration policy. He will step down from the Board of Unilever
on 31 December 2018 and will retire from employment on 2 July 2019,
following a period of transition to his successor. He will continue
to be paid in line with Unilever's normal remuneration policy
during this period. Treatment of all elements of his remuneration
will be in line with the remuneration policy set out in the 2017
Annual Report and Accounts.
Any bonus Paul Polman will be awarded for 2018 will be invested in
Unilever shares with a holding period of two years. No further
incentive awards will be made to Paul Polman. His existing
long-term incentive awards will continue to vest on their normal
timeframe in accordance with Unilever's actual performance and will
be pro-rated to reflect only that portion of the vesting period
served up until his retirement.
All payments are subject to required tax withholdings. Full details
of all payments made to and receivable by Paul Polman will be
disclosed on the Unilever website in due course in compliance with
Section 430 (2B) of the Companies Act 2006 and in the Directors'
Remuneration Report within the Company's Annual Report and Accounts
for the year ending 31 December 2018, and subsequent years, as
appropriate.
Alan Jope
Alan Jope will be paid in accordance with Unilever's remuneration
policy as approved by shareholders at the 2018 AGMs. He will be
eligible for:
- Fixed Pay, which will be set initially at Euros
1,450,000 gross per annum.
- Target annual bonus at 150% of Fixed Pay, with actual
bonus in the range of 0% to 225% of Fixed Pay
- Investment of up to 67% of actual annual bonus in
Unilever shares through MCIP, with a target match share award of
1.5 shares for every share purchased. The actual MCIP Match share
award will be in the range of zero to three shares (200%) based on
Unilever's actual performance over the four year duration of the
MCIP cycle.
This announcement contains inside information. This is a public
announcement pursuant to article 17 paragraph 1 of the European
Market Abuse Regulation (596/2014).
Cautionary Statement
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 'will', 'aims', 'expects', anticipates', 'intends', 'seeks',
'looks', 'believes', 'vision', or the negative of these terms and
other similar expressions of future performance or results 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 Unilever Group (the "Group" or
"Unilever"). 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. Among other risks and
uncertainties, the material or principal factors which could cause
actual results to differ materially are: Unilever's global brands
not meeting consumer preferences; Unilever's ability to innovate
and remain competitive; Unilever's investment choices in its
portfolio management; inability to find sustainable solutions to
support long-term growth; customer relationships; the recruitment
and retention of talented employees; disruptions in our supply
chain; the cost of raw materials and commodities; the production of
safe and high quality products; secure and reliable IT
infrastructure; successful execution of acquisitions, divestitures
and business transformation projects; economic and political risks
and natural disasters; the effect of climate change on Unilever's
business; financial risks; failure to meet high and ethical
standards; and managing regulatory, tax and legal matters. 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. Further details of potential risks and uncertainties
affecting the Group are described in the Group's filings with the
London Stock Exchange, the Dutch Authority for the Financial
Markets (Stichting Autoriteit Financiële Markten) and the US
Securities and Exchange Commission, including in the Annual Report
on Form 20-F 2017 and the Unilever Annual Report and Accounts
2017.