Doubts Emerge Over Future Of Ben & Jerry’s Board Chair Post Unilever Demerger

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Doubts person emerged complete whether nan chair of Ben & Jerry’s committee will proceed to beryllium portion of genitor institution Unilever’s crystal pick spin-off.

Those doubts surfaced this week successful a filing by nan demerged entity – The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC) – with nan US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) insinuating Anuradha Mittal will nary longer beryllium connected board.

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She joined Ben & Jerry’s successful 2007, according to nan website of nan US-headquartered ice-cream institution founded by societal activists Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield.

Mittal became Ben & Jerry’s ‘independent’ chair successful 2018, according to her LinkedIn profile, 2 years earlier Unilever took complete nan business nether an statement that Cohen and Greenfield person antecedently said purportedly “guaranteed nan company’s autonomy…with nan state to prosecute its societal mission”.

Almost 2 months aft Greenfield discontinue Ben & Jerry’s amid a long-running conflict pinch Unilever claiming a deficiency of autonomy astir nan founders’ societal values and requests for independence from TMICC, nan business has escalated.

“Following investigations commissioned by nan group and conducted by outer advisers, successful nan sentiment of nan group nan existent chair of nan Ben & Jerry’s committee nary longer meets nan criteria to service arsenic a personnel of nan Ben & Jerry’s board,” a registration archive revenge pinch nan SEC connected 4 November read.

While Mittal was not referred to by name, nan archive added: “The group has informed nan Ben & Jerry’s committee astir nan results of nan soul investigations. The group will see its options depending connected nan consequence it receives from nan Ben & Jerry’s board.”

The filing past implies location is simply a anticipation of early ineligible proceedings against TMICC and/or Unilever.

“The Ben & Jerry’s committee aliases its individual members whitethorn activity to commence aliases instigate different proceedings against nan Group (and/or its labor and officers) arsenic a result,” nan filing stated.

Just Food has contacted Mittal connected LinkedIn to inquire for a reaction. She is besides nan laminitis and an executive head of The Oakland Institute, a California-based deliberation tank.

Meanwhile, Cohen posted connected nan X societal media level yesterday (5 November).
“Magnum is trying to rip nan bosom retired of Ben & Jerry’s and return distant its sound entirely. The aforesaid civilization of fearfulness and silencing Trump uses successful Washington DC is creeping into nan boardrooms of multi-national corporations.”

Cohen and Greenfield had penned a letter to Unilever successful September requesting Ben & Jerry’s beryllium allowed to run arsenic an “independently owned company” alternatively than beryllium absorbed into TMICC.

The founders expressed concerns successful nan missive complete a deficiency of autonomy successful conflict pinch nan 2000 takeover agreement, claiming “Ben & Jerry’s has been silenced by Unilever, peculiarly erstwhile nan marque has tried to speak retired astir societal justness and cruel wars”.

Cohen and Greenfield person a history of agitating pinch Unilever nether their societal ngo schedule since nan 2000 acquisition.

Earlier this year, Ben & Jerry’s revenge a lawsuit successful a New York tribunal accusing nan FMCG elephantine of ousting its then-CEO Dave Stever successful what was deemed arsenic Unilever’s effort to soundlessness nan ngo agenda.

In different tribunal filing successful 2024, Ben & Jerry’s said Unilever had tried to prohibition it from publically criticising President Donald Trump. The ice-cream shaper besides revenge a suit that aforesaid twelvemonth claiming Unilever had tried to extremity it from expressing support for Palestinian refugees.

Unilever had sold its ice-cream cognition successful nan Israeli-occupied West Bank successful 2022 successful an effort to tie a statement nether a negotiated statement stemming from Ben & Jerry’s halting income successful nan territory nan erstwhile year. In retaliation, Israel had threatened a boycott of nan company’s products.

In its SEC filing connected 4 November, Unilever said “the group has taken a pro-active attack to uncovering communal crushed pinch nan Ben & Jerry’s committee and its members to debar early conflicts of nan type that person arisen successful nan past”.

It added nan investigations that had led to nan conclusions astir Mittal had been “commissioned” by nan group and “conducted by outer advisers”.

A conception heading successful nan SEC archive read: “The governance building of Ben & Jerry’s whitethorn airs definite risks to nan estimation and operations of nan group”.

The filing continued: “In summation to taking decisions aliases making nationalist statements that are inconsistent pinch nan group’s strategy and objectives, nan Ben & Jerry’s board, its members aliases others associated pinch Ben & Jerry’s whitethorn besides effort to bring ineligible claims and make nationalist statements against nan institution aliases different members of nan group (as they person done against Unilever anterior to nan demerger) wherever they whitethorn judge aliases asseverate that nan actions of nan institution infringe connected their superior responsibilities for nan ‘social mission’ aliases ‘essential integrity’ of nan Ben & Jerry’s brand.

“Such actions could likewise consequence successful reputational damage, user boycotts of products, investor claims aliases adverse shifts successful user behaviour.”

Meanwhile, Cohen ended his station connected X yesterday by saying: “People conflict backmost for illustration they did successful New York, Virginia, and New Jersey. Voters, brands, workers and artists pinch integrity won’t beryllium bullied into silence.”