Global CEO of Unilever's specialty tea brand T2 Nicole (Nicky) Sparshott has been appointed CEO of Unilever Australia and New Zealand after Clive Stiff announced his retirement.
Stiff retires after eight years in the role and more than 30 years in the FMCG sector.
Sparshott will begin in the role from April and report to global COO Nitin Paranjpe. She will retain leadership of the T2 business.
Earlier this month Global CEO Alan Jope announced a strategic review of the company's global tea business. T2 is one of its brands, along with PG Tips, Lipton and Bushells (Food & Drink Business 05/02/20120).
Sparshott joined Unilever ANZ in 2006 as marketing director for Foods, Ice Cream and Beverages. She moved to Singapore where she worked in various leadership roles in its Refreshment business across Asia. She was appointed CEO T2 following Unilever's aquisition of the company in 2016.
Prior to joining Unilever, Sparshott held multi-market roles at P&G, The Coca-Cola Company and at advertising agency George Patterson. She serves on the boards of WWF-Australia and Global Sisters.
Sparshott said she was delighted to be returning to Australia for the role. “Consumer trends and preferences are evolving rapidly, providing brands with an opportunity to be more innovative and dynamic than ever before,” she said.
She said Stiff had led the company through a period of significant change, laying a strong foundation for agility in the company for growth.
Stiff said it had been “an absolute privilege” to lead the copmany. “I leave with a strong sense of pride in what our talented team has achieved together over this time,” he said.
