Unilever Nigeria appoints Tim Kleinnebenne as new managing director

Unilever Nigeria, a top consumer goods firm has appointed Tim Kleinebenne as its new managing director to lead the management team of the business.

Kleinebenne will replace Carl Cruz, the current managing director – whose resignation has been approved by the Board of Directors with effect from 4 May, 2023. He assumes office as the new managing director effective 5 May 2023.

“I want to welcome Tim to his new role where his skills as a resilient entrepreneur can deploy business and market development strategies with speed and determination will take Unilever Nigeria to the next level,” said Jaime Aguilera, Unilever’s Africa president.

He is a graduate of Business Economics from the University of Hamburg in Germany. He is a highly experienced general manager and has 31 years of international experience in the FMCG industry at Unilever.

This includes senior sales and marketing roles as well as over 10 years as managing director of Unilever businesses, two of which were publicly listed.

Kleinebenne is currently managing director of Unilever Côte d’Ivoire and has also served as Managing Director of Unilever Ethiopia, where he established the business and built it into a leading local consumer goods manufacturer, and as Managing Director of Unilever Caribbean.

In a statement, Unilever Nigeria, on behalf of the Board of Directors, management, and staff expressed its sincere gratitude to Cruz for his outstanding work which delivered a positive business turnaround and a significant increase in both turnover and profit, thereby setting the organisation on a path to sustainable growth after steering the company through the difficult years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The organisation also wished Cruz all the very best in his future endeavours.

“I would like to thank Carl personally for his dedication and commitment to bringing Unilever’s Compass Strategy to life,” “He has delivered superb results at Unilever Nigeria by serving the Nigerian consumer and his work ensuring the company continues to actively contribute to building a better society in Nigeria in its centenary year,” Aguilera said.