Unilever appoints Zaved Akhtar as new CEO
He is currently serving as the Vice President of Digital Transformation & Growth, South Asia, based in India
Unilever Bangladesh Limited (UBL) has appointed Zaved Akhtar as their Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Managing Director (MD), effective 1 July 2021.
Zaved will also join the Unilever South Asia Leadership Team, says a press release from the company.
He is currently serving as the Vice President of Digital Transformation & Growth, South Asia, based in India.
Zaved will succeed Kedar Lele, who served as the CEO and Managing Director of UBL since January 2018 and subsequently became Chairman in addition to Managing Director in 2020. Kedar will join the Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) Management Committee as Executive Director, Customer Development.
He will continue as the Chairman of UBL.
A career marketer and business leader, Zaved began his career with British American Tobacco and then joined Unilever as Senior Brand Manager for its Oral Care business in 2000. With 24 years of professional experience across South Asia, Southeast Asia and Australasia, Zaved has rich expertise in consumer centricity, design thinking and innovation management. He is a graduate of the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka.
In his current role as the Vice President, Digital Transformation & Growth, Zaved set up the 'Digital Council' for Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and anchored the 'Reimagine HUL' agenda, a widely recognized programme across Unilever as a comprehensive end-to-end digital transformation programme with impact.
Sanjiv Mehta, President Unilever South Asia, said, "I would like to thank Kedar for his outstanding leadership of the Bangladesh business and laud his efforts towards strengthening Customer Development execution, transforming the company's end-to-end supply chain, developing talent and improving diversity in UBL. I am delighted to welcome Zaved as the CEO and MD of Unilever Bangladesh, and to the South Asia Leadership Team. His contribution towards crafting Unilever's Five Fundamentals of Growth and driving the Reimagine HUL agenda in India has been tremendous. I am certain that he will lead the Bangladesh business to greater heights."
