Unilever CEO Plans Shakeup of Top 200 Managers in Overhaul (1)

Unilever Plc Chief Executive Officer Fernando Fernandez expects to replace a quarter of the group’s top 200 managers following a performance review, as he leads an overhaul of the maker of Dove soap.

Fernandez, who has led the consumer goods company since February, also said Unilever had reduced its white collar workforce by 18% over the past 18 months as it tries to stamp out what he called “pockets of mediocrity.”

“Unilever has been an inconsistent performer,” Fernandez said Wednesday at the Barclays Global Consumer Staples Conference in Boston. He described it as a “bloated organization” with an inconsistent performance ...