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  "path": "/money/unilever-boss-rejects-woke-agenda-criticism",
  "publishedAt": "2026-06-10T21:36:28.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "Supermarkets hit with £800million downturn amid fat jab craze as shoppers save £400 on groceries",
    "Andy Burnham backs compensation for millions of pensioners in direct challenge to Keir Starmer",
    "Bank holiday impacting millions of Britons prompts urgent update on £112.80 payments",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nUnilever chief executive Fernando Fernández has distanced the Ftse 100 company from accusations it pursued a \"woke\" agenda under previous management.\n\nSpeaking at the Wall Street Journal CEO Council Summit in London on Wednesday, Mr Fernández insisted the consumer goods giant would only back principles directly connected to customer demand.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"I will never support principles in our brand that are not anchored in consumer needs,\" he said.\n\nHis remarks come after years of criticism from investors who accused Unilever of prioritising social messaging and sustainability campaigns over commercial performance.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nFundsmith founder Terry Smith, one of Britain’s best-known fund managers, publicly attacked the company in 2022 for what he described as an excessive focus on virtue-signalling.\n\nMr Smith argued at the time that Unilever had become \"obsessed with publicly displaying sustainability credentials\".\n\nThe investor also criticised the company’s marketing strategy, stating: \"A company which feels it has to define the purpose of Hellmann's mayonnaise has in our view clearly lost the plot.\"\n\nMr Fernández, who became chief executive in March last year, indicated he intends to take a different approach to brand strategy.\n\nAsked about Unilever’s purpose and Mr Smith’s criticism during the summit, the chief executive said strong brands must first deliver quality products before promoting wider values.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"Every brand stands for something. The first point is that you have to deliver functional superiority. You have to deliver great aesthetics, great sensorials,\" he said.\n\nMr Fernández added that successful brands also required a clear identity capable of resonating with consumers.\n\nHe cited Dove, Unilever’s largest brand, as an example of a product with a purpose grounded in customer concerns.\n\nThe chief executive said Dove emerged partly in response to beauty industry stereotypes which were affecting female self-esteem.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * Supermarkets hit with £800million downturn amid fat jab craze as shoppers save £400 on groceries\n  * Andy Burnham backs compensation for millions of pensioners in direct challenge to Keir Starmer\n  * Bank holiday impacting millions of Britons prompts urgent update on £112.80 payments\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\"I will not comment on the past. I am interested in the future. I am really building the brands for the future,\" he said.\n\nThe comments come as investors continue debating Unilever’s planned merger of its food division with American spice and seasoning company McCormick.\n\nIt would combine the maker of Marmite and Hellmann’s with the owner of French’s mustard and Frank’s RedHot sauces.\n\nThe combined business is expected to be valued at around $66billion.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe deal is anticipated to complete around the middle of 2027.\n\nSome shareholders have raised concerns about the scale of the transaction, particularly surrounding debt levels and the challenges involved in integrating such large businesses.\n\nMr Smith has since exited his investment in Unilever entirely. The veteran fund manager revealed last month that he had sold his remaining stake in the company.\n\nHe criticised Unilever for having \"abandoned its promised operational focus in favour of activist-driven break-ups\".\n\nMr Fernández also praised Nelson Peltz, the American activist investor who joined Unilever’s board after Trian Fund Management acquired a stake in the business in 2022.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe chief executive described Mr Peltz as a \"super expert in the consumer sector. We have an excellent relationship with him. I feel he understands the industry very well. He understands the US very well.\"\n\nDefending the McCormick merger, Mr Fernández acknowledged Unilever had previously been \"a bit of an inconsistent performer\".\n\nHe nevertheless argued the deal would create significant long-term value for shareholders despite uncertainty in the near term.\n\nThe chief executive also noted Unilever’s home and personal care division had outperformed the food business over the past three years.\n\nMr Fernández acknowledged McCormick faced a major challenge integrating a business roughly twice its own revenue size but said he remained confident the merger would ultimately succeed.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Unilever boss rejects 'woke' agenda criticism after being accused of 'losing the plot'"
}