On June 9, an important personnel change occurred in Unilever (China) Co., Ltd., and Zhong Zhaomin stepped down as legal representative and chairman. was taken over by ROLAND POLAROID HUTABARAT. This company, founded in August 1999 and has a registered capital of approximately US$310 million, is headquartered in China. This change has been another high-level adjustment in the past year.
It is understood that in March 2025, ROLAND POLAROID HUTABARAT served as the head of the beauty and health business supply chain in the Chinese market. Prior to this, he held similar positions in the Indonesian market.
It is worth noting that Unilever has undergone many high-level replacements in recent days.
According to the Red Star Capital Bureau, in November 2024, Unilever (China) Investment Co., Ltd. underwent industrial and commercial changes, and Qu Wei resigned as legal representative and chairman, and Chen Ge took over, and director changes occurred.
In August 2024, Unilever appointed Chen Ge as president of Unilever China and general manager of China Region of Beauty and Health Division. Qu Wei, president of Unilever China and general manager of Beauty and Health North Asia, has decided to leave Unilever.
Public information shows that Qu Wei officially joined Unilever in 1998. After more than ten years of work, he switched to Danone. In 2016, he returned to Unilever and served as vice president of family care categories in North Asia and general manager of Qinyuan Group. In 2022, Qu Wei took office as president of Unilever China and general manager of North Asia, beauty and health department.
In addition to China, Unilever also announced major personnel changes in February this year: CEO Hein Schumacher stepped down on March 1, completely withdrew from the company on May 31, and CFO Fernando Fernandez took over. The official said that the resignation was the "result of the agreement between the two parties" and did not disclose the specific reason.
Sima Han took office in July 2023. In less than two years of his tenure, he implemented the "slimming and muscle building" strategy, including divesting the ice cream business, laying off 7,500 employees worldwide, cutting food brands and selling more than 20 personal beauty brands. He was stationed in China for four years when he worked at Heinz and led the transformation of the Asia-Pacific region. His resignation was regarded as a prelude to the adjustment of strategic direction in the industry.
As one of the world's largest consumer goods companies, Unilever's revenue in 2024 reached 60.8 billion euros, with business covering 190 countries and regions. It owns more than 400 brands including Dove, Lipton, and Qingyang.
Its subsidiary in China, Unilever (China) Co., Ltd. was established in 1999 and is wholly owned by Unilever (China) Investment Co., Ltd., and its business covers personal hygiene products, beauty, daily chemical products and other fields.
Since entering the Chinese market in 1986, China has become its second largest market in the world, accounting for about 20% of its revenue in 2024. By acquiring brands such as Olenarso and Living Proof, Unilever has built a high-end beauty matrix covering skin care, makeup and personal care in China.
However, the competitive pressure in China's market continues to intensify. The 2024 financial report shows that in addition to the food sector, the market share of mass categories such as Unilever laundry detergent has been squeezed by local brands, and the growth rate of the high-end beauty matrix is only 7%, lower than the industry average of 12%.
In the first quarter of 2025, global supply chain fluctuations caused a 9% increase in raw material costs. Although pressure was transferred through price increases, consumer price sensitivity increased, further dragging down brands such as Qingyang.
In this regard, Unilever plans to accelerate the high-end investment portfolio and turn to e-commerce channels and small stores in low-tier cities. It is expected to show benefits in the Indonesian and Chinese markets in the second half of 2025.
At present, Unilever operates nearly 40 brands in China, covering popular categories such as Qingyang, Liss, and Dove, as well as high-end beauty brands such as Demela and K18.
Analyses point out that frequent personnel changes reflect their transformation pressure in the Chinese market - In the face of the rise of local brands and consumption upgrades, foreign fast-moving consumer goods giants need to reshape their competitiveness through organizational structure adjustment, supply chain optimization and high-end product development. The takeover of ROLAND POLAROID HUTABARAT may mark Unilever's ability to rely on its Southeast Asian supply chain management experience to accelerate the improvement of China's business efficiency and implementation of its strategy.
Source of this article | Professional Retail Network Comprehensive
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