Aline Santos, chief brand officer and chief equity, diversity and inclusion officer at Unilever, is to leave the FMCG giant next month after 35 years.
Her next steps have yet to be confirmed. Santos wrote in a post on LinkedIn: “I am leaving Unilever at the end of March to embark on a whole new adventure (details of which are unknown even to me). Am I nervous? Yes! But I am also so ready to embrace the unknown!”
The global marketing team will report directly to Esi Eggleston Bracey, chief growth and marketing officer, while the global equity, diversity and inclusion team will report to HR once Santos leaves.
She joined Unilever Brazil in 1989 as a marketing trainee in the food division. Santos moved up to vice-president of marketing for Unilever Brazil before taking on regional leadership in Latin America for skin cleansing, later helping to shape the "Dove real beauty" campaign.
Santos then moved into Unilever's home care division as global vice-president for OMO/Persil. During this time, she led the “Dirt is good” brand platform, which brought together many of Unilever’s laundry brands and grew them in value from £214m to almost £3.42bn in the space of seven years.
Santos then became executive vice-president for global marketing, adding the role of chief equity, diversity and inclusion officer in 2016.
She said: “I have enjoyed every minute. The longevity of a 35-year career in such a vibrant company is a true privilege. To have learned and collaborated with many colleagues in our joint successes. To have been able to count on the wisdom of the many, many people — too many to name or count — who forever inspire me.”