Unilever Ethiopia appoints Nesibu Temesgen as its new General Manager

ETHIOPIA – Unilever, a British multinational fast-moving consumer goods company, has appointed Nesibu Temesgen as its new General Manager.

Nesibu, the first Ethiopian national to lead Unilever Ethiopia, assumed office on April 1, 2025.  He brings over 18 years of experience in the industry.

He has spent nine years at Unilever Ethiopia, most recently serving as a director leading its customer development operations. In this role, he was credited with consolidating the company’s sales and marketing position.

Previously, he held successive management roles at Unilever Ethiopia, Heineken Ethiopia, and Tiger Brands East Africa.

He holds undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in marketing management from Addis Abeba University.

Nesibu told The Fortune, “I plan to diversify the company’s offerings and adapt existing products to meet evolving market demands.” My focus will be on expanding distribution channels and introducing new product lines.

“Unilever Ethiopia will initially import select products from Unilever’s global sourcing units, with plans to explore local production later. I aim for volume-led growth for the company.”

This appointment follows the successful tenure of George Ansah, who contributed 30 years of global leadership experience to Unilever Ethiopia.

Ansah focused on accelerating growth, nurturing local talent, and positively impacting the communities served.

Recently, the multinational company promoted Fernando Fernandez to Chief Executive Officer from Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director.

Read more: Unilever Chief Executive Officer Hein Schumacher to step down

Before becoming CFO in January 2024, Fernando had a successful tenure as President of Beauty & Wellbeing, one of Unilever’s fastest-growing businesses.

Fernando Fernandez said, “Being appointed as CEO of Unilever is an honour. Our focus will be on building a future-fit portfolio with an attractive growth footprint and delivering unmatched functional and perceivable superiority across our top 30 power brands.”

Speaking about Fernando’s appointment as CEO, Ian Meakins said that the Board had been impressed with Fernando’s decisive and results-oriented approach, as well as his ability to drive change quickly.

Fernando succeeds Hein Schumacher, who served as the previous CEO of the Dutch dairy cooperative FrieslandCampina from 2018 until 2023.

He said, “It has been a privilege to lead Unilever. We have made significant progress, and I am proud of what we have accomplished in a relatively short period.”

“With a clear strategy, a portfolio reset in motion and a strong leadership team in place, I look forward to seeing Unilever move from strength to strength in the future.”