Unilever has appointed a new CEO to lead Ben & Jerry’s as its battle over the ice cream brand’s lefty politics heats up, according to a report Friday.
Jochanan Senf, a Dutch Unilever executive who previously managed Ben & Jerry’s Europe business, will start in the new role this month after the British parent company abruptly axed former CEO David Stever, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In a court filing in March, Ben & Jerry’s independent board — which manages the Vermont-based company’s social activism and mission — had accused Unilever of firing Stever, who started as a tour guide for the brand’s Waterbury factory in 1988.
Jochanan Senf will take over Ben & Jerry’s. LinkedIn / Jochanan Senf Former CEO Dave Stever (left) at the company’s Free Cone Day at the Waterbury factory. Ben & Jerry’s
The board — which was created and given power over management as