Keith Weed Keith Weed is retiring as Unilever's chief marketing and communications officer after 35 years at the FMCG giant. The news comes a week after it was revealed Alan Jope will succeed Paul Polman as CEO. Weed is one of the world’s most high profile marketers, taking a bold stance on dodgy practices in influencer marketing, advocated for better measurement from digital platforms and championed for greater diversity in advertising. In his reign he has overseen a series of efficiency moves, reducing the number of agencies the company works with and bringing production in house. "I have been privileged to lead some of the best marketing, sustainability and communication teams in the world," Weed said in a statement. " As the world's second largest advertiser, we have been able to leverage our scale for effectiveness and efficiencies, and we have also been able to leverage our scale for good, leading to greater responsibility, transparency and accountability in the advertising and digital industry." Weed’s successor is yet to be announced, but reports suggest Unilever could scrap the CMO role and instead assign responsibility for the marketing functions to marketing heads within each of its three categories: beauty and personal care, home care, and food and refreshments. Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.
Unilever ’s high-profile chief marketing and communications officer plans to retire after a week with the company. During his tenure, Alan Jope advocated for better diversity in advertising, stood against dishonest practices in influencer markets, and argued for improved measurement from digital platforms. He also reintegrated production and improved efficiencies, such as cutting the number of ad agencies FMCG used. A successor has not been announced, but his marketing role may be broken up, with responsibilities assigned to specific departments. News of his retirement comes just after the announcement of Keith Weed as Unilever ’s new CEO, replacing Alan Jope .