Unilever names Jochanan Senf as new Ben & Jerry’s CEO

Unilever has appointed Jochanan Senf as the CEO of Ben Jerry’s following the exit of former Dave Stever as the head of the subsidiary in March.

According to Ben & Jerry’s independent board, Stever was ousted earlier this year for defending the company’s social activism on issues like immigration, Black Lives Matter and pro-Palestinian protests.

In March, Ben & Jerry’s filed a case in New York accusing Unilever of removing Stever without the approval of the subsidiary's own board. The move, Ben & Jerry's contested, violated an agreement meant to protect its independence and social activism.

Under the terms of its acquisition of Ben & Jerry’s in 2000, Unilever agreed to retain an independent board of directors at the Vermont-based business who were focused on maintaining the brand’s social mission.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the Ben & Jerry's board was not given the chance to interview candidates to succeed Stever. Just Food has asked Unilever to comment.

Disagreements between the businesses originated in 2021 when Ben & Jerry’s announced it was halting sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, causing a backlash in Israel which threatened a boycott of Unilever products. In June 2022, Unilever sold its ice cream operation in the country in an attempt to draw a line under a damaging diplomatic row.

Last November, Ben & Jerry’s filed a lawsuit saying Unilever had tried to stop it from expressing support for Palestinian refugees. Unilever denied the claims.

In February, in another court filing, Ben & Jerry’s said its owner had tried to ban it from publicly criticising US President Donald Trump.

Unilever is planning to spin off its ice-cream business later this year with the new company to be listed in Amsterdam, London and New York.

In a statement from Unilever, the FMCG giant described Senf as an “ice cream veteran” adding his career has been “deeply entwined with Ben & Jerry’s”.

According to Senf's LinkedIn profile, he spent seven years at Ben & Jerry's as MD for its business in Europe.

Senf has spent more than 20 years at Unilever included the role at Ben & Jerry's. Since 2022, he has been the general manager for Unilever's food business in the DACH markets.

The statement said: “This experience allowed him to learn first-hand the importance and power of Ben & Jerry’s unique three-part mission – product, economic and social – and how this is instrumental to the success of the business and its impact on communities.

In 2024, Unilever's ice-cream business generated a turnover of €8.3bn ($9.7bn), up 4.5% on a year earlier. The demerged business will be called The Magnum Ice Cream Company and based in the Netherlands.