Unilever today announced a significant realignment of its global marketing leadership structure, a move aimed at accelerating its enterprise-wide transformation and bringing its marketing agenda closer to individual Business Groups.
The FMCG major has been undergoing a major marketing overhaul in recent years under the stewardship of Esi Eggleston Bracey, Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, who has led efforts to modernise Unilever’s approach to brand-building and consumer engagement amid rapid shifts in technology, media, and consumer behaviour. With the transformation now entering a more execution-focused phase, Unilever said deeper integration with its Business Groups will help drive sharper impact and agility.
As part of this evolution, Leandro Barreto, currently Chief Marketing Officer for Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing Business Group, will take on an expanded mandate as Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever and Beauty & Wellbeing, effective 1 January 2026. In this enlarged role, Barreto will assume responsibility for Unilever’s enterprise-wide marketing agenda while continuing to oversee the Beauty & Wellbeing portfolio.
Barreto, a seasoned marketer with over two decades of global experience, is widely recognised for his disruptive creative thinking and track record of building culturally resonant brands. Unilever said his ability to bridge long-term capability ambitions with Business Group-level execution makes him “perfectly positioned” to lead the next chapter of its marketing reinvention.
The leadership transition also marks the departure of Esi Eggleston Bracey, who will leave Unilever at the end of January 2026 after eight years with the company. Since joining in 2018 to head Beauty & Personal Care for North America, Bracey has been credited with delivering a step-change in performance in the region and, later, redefining Unilever’s global demand-generation model in her role as CGMO.
Bracey will work alongside Barreto through January to ensure a seamless handover.
Commenting on the changes, Fernando Fernandez, CEO, Unilever, said: “I would like to thank Esi for her significant contribution to Unilever and wish her every success in the next chapter of her career. With strong groundwork now in place, I know Leandro will make a big impact in his expanded role as we accelerate desire at scale and turn Unilever into a true marketing and sales machine.”
The restructure underscores Unilever’s sharpened focus on agility, performance, and Business Group autonomy as it aims to build stronger, more desirable brands and drive growth in an increasingly fragmented consumer landscape.
