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33
Unilever Annual Report & Accounts and Form 20-F 2000 Report of the Directors
Corporate governance
Our Chairmen, both in communications about the Annual
General M eetings and at the actual meetings, encourage
shareholders to attend and to ask questions. Question and
answer sessions form an important part of the meetings
in both the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. We are
committed to efforts to establish more effective w ays of
shareholder communication. We actively participate in the
Shareholders Communication Channel w hich facilitates
proxy voting in the Netherlands.
Electronic communication is becoming an important
medium for shareholders, providing ready access to
shareholder information and reports, and for voting
purposes. With the development of practices in the United
Kingdom, the United States, and in the Netherlands, w e
shall be seeking to extend the use of electronic
communication with shareholders during 2001.
Reporting to shareholders
The directors’ responsibilities are set out formally on page 45.
The report to shareholders on directors’ remuneration and
interests is set out on pages 36 to 44.
The responsibility of the auditors to report on these
matters is set out on page 46.
Directors
Antony Burgmans* 1
Chairman, Unilever N.V.
Aged 54. Chairman of Unilever N.V. and Vice-Chairman of Unilever
PLC since 4 May 1999. Joined Unilever 1972. Appointed director
8 M ay 1991. Previous posts include: Vice-Chairman of Unilever N.V.
1998. Business Group President, Ice Cream & Frozen Foods –Europe
and Chairman of Unilever Europe Committee 96/98. Responsible for
South European Foods business 94/96. Personal Products
Co-ordinator 91/94. Member, Supervisory Board of ABN AM RO
Bank N.V. and International Advisory Board of Allianz AG.
Niall FitzGerald* 1
Chairman, Unilever PLC
Aged 55. Chairman of Unilever PLC and Vice-Chairman of Unilever
N.V. since 7 May 1996. Joined Unilever 1967. Appointed director
20 M ay 1987. Previous posts include: Vice-Chairman of Unilever PLC
1994. Detergents Co-ordinator 91/95. Member, Foods Executive
89/91 Edible Fats & Dairy Co-ordinator 89/90. Financial Director
87/89. Non-executive director of Merck & Co Inc. and
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson.
Roy Brown
Chairman, Europe Committee
Aged 54. Joined Unilever 1974. Appointed director 6 May 1992.
Retiring 2001.Previous posts include: President, Foods and
Beverages Europe 96/00. Regional Director, Africa & Middle East
and Central & Eastern Europe 92/96. Non-executive director of
GKN plc and Thus PLC.
Clive Butler*
Corporate Development Director
Aged 54. Corporate Development Director since 1 January 2001.
Joined Unilever 1970. Appointed director 6 May 1992. Previous
posts include: Category Director, Home & Personal Care 1996.
Personnel Director 93/96. Corporate Development Director 1992.
Non-executive director of Lloyds TSB Group plc.
Patrick Cescau*
Foods Director
Aged 52. Foods Director since 1 January 2001. Joined Unilever
1973. Appointed director 4 May 1999. Previous posts include:
Financial Director 1999. Controller and Deputy Financial Director
98/99. President, Lipton, USA 97/98. President, Van den Bergh
Foods, USA 95/97. Chairman, Indonesia 91/95.
Keki Dadiseth*
Home & Personal Care Director
Aged 55. Home & Personal Care Director since 1 January 2001.
Joined Unilever 1973. Appointed director 3 M ay 2000. Previous
posts include: Hindustan Lever Chairman, 1996, Vice-Chairman
and M anaging Director 1995. Non-executive director of The Indian
Hotels Company.
André van Heemstra*
Personnel Director
Aged 55. Personnel Director since 3 M ay 2000. Joined Unilever
1970. Appointed director 3 May 2000. Previous posts include:
Business Group President East Asia Pacific 1996. Chairman,
Langnese-Iglo 1992.
Alexander Kemner*
Member of the Executive Committee
Aged 61. Joined Unilever 1966. Appointed director 3 May 1989.
Retiring 2001. Previous posts include: Category Director, Foods
96/00. Regional Director, East Asia & Pacific 93/96. Member,
Foods Executive 89/92. Food & Drinks Co-ordinator 89/90.
Rudy Markham*
Financial Director
Aged 54. Financial Director since 4 August 2000. Joined Unilever
1968. Appointed director 6 May 1998. Previous posts include:
Strategy & Technology Director 1998. Business Group President,
North East Asia 96/98. Chairman, Nippon Lever Japan 92/96.
Group Treasurer 86/89.
Charles Strauss
Business President Home & Personal Care North America and Global
Prestige Business
Aged 58. Joined Unilever 1986 upon Unilever’s acquisition of Ragú
Foods. Appointed director 3 May 2000. Previous posts include:
Business Group President, Latin America 96/99. President,
Lever Brothers USA 93/96. Chairman, Langnese-Iglo 89/92.
* M ember Executive Committee of the Board
Advisory Directors
The Rt Hon The Lord Brittan of Spennithorne QC2
Aged 61. Appointed 2000. Vice-Chairman UBS Warburg. M ember
of the European Commission and Vice-President 89/99. M ember of
the UK Government 79/86. Home Secretary 83/85 and Secretary of
State for Trade and Industry 85/86.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey3
Aged 58. Appointed 1998. Director Freeplay Energy Ltd, Landell
Mills Ltd and Ashanti Goldfields Company Ltd. UK M inister of State
at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office 86/97. Created life peer
in 1992. M ember of Parliament for Wallasey 74/92
Bertrand Collomb1,4
Aged 58. Appointed 1994. Chairman and CEO, Lafarge S.A.
Director Crédit Commercial de France, Total Fina Elf and Atco.
Member, Supervisory Board, Allianz AG and Advisory Board
Banque de France.