Ben & Jerry's, a subsidiary of Unilever, has appointed company veteran David Stever as its new chief executive officer.
In 1988, Stever commenced his career with the ice cream brand as a tour guide at its Waterbury factory in Vermont, US.
He worked his way up to the company's marketing and management team and went on to become its chief marketing officer – a position he has held for the past 12 years.
When the Ben & Jerry's became part of Unilever 20 years ago, he was already an established leader in its marketing team.
Anuradha Mittal, Ben & Jerry's board chair said, "The board is very pleased with the selection of Dave as Ben & Jerry's next CEO, and not just because of his passion for our euphoric super-premium ice cream.
"Dave's long history at Ben & Jerry's, along with his recognition of the integral role that the company's values and social mission play in our growth and our commitment to advancing justice and equity in the world, make him the best choice to write the next chapter in Ben & Jerry's remarkable story."
Building Partnerships
Stever was instrumental in creating partnerships with Dave Matthews Band, Stephen Colbert, Willie Nelson, Sir Elton John, Jimmy Fallon, Colin Kaepernick, Netflix, Chance the Rapper, Tony's Chocolonely and Ava DuVernay.
It is the first time since cofounder Ben Cohen stepped down as CEO in 1994 that a staff member has been promoted to the top role.
Stever succeeds Matthew McCarthy, who recently retired from Ben & Jerry's after five years at the helm.
"Ben and I have known Dave for over three decades and we are absolutely thrilled that he will be leading Ben & Jerry's into the next chapter of our company's history," said cofounder Jerry Greenfield.
"Dave started out 30 years ago as a tour guide. And now he's CEO. He knows Ben & Jerry's inside and out. He lives it and breathes it. We are psyched to have someone with Dave's talent, passion and demonstrated ability as our CEO," added cofounder Ben Cohen.
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© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-Brands news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
