Unilever said it appointed Nelson Peltz as a non-executive director and confirmed his TrianFund Management holds a roughly 1.5% stake in the consumer products company.
Unilever shares traded in NYSE rose more than 7% in premarket trading.
Nils Andersen, chair of Unilever, said the company has held “extensive and constructive discussions” with Peltz and Trian and “believe that Nelson’s experience in the global consumer goods industry will be of value to Unilever as we continue to drive the performance of our business.”
Peltz said Unilever is a company with “significant potential, through leveraging its portfolio of strong consumer brands and its geographical footprint.
“Trian has made a considerable investment in Unilever. We look forward to working collaboratively with management and the board to help drive Unilever’s strategy, operations, sustainability, and shareholder value for the benefit of all stakeholders,” the investor added.
Unilever, the maker of food and household goods such as Dove soap, Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Ben & Jerry’s ice cream,abandoned its attemptin January to buy GlaxoSmithKline’s consumer health division for about £50 billion ($63.1 billion). It was reported then too that Trian had been building up its stake in Unilever.