INSEAD and Unilever today announced the establishment of ‘The Patrick Cescau/Unilever Endowed Fund for Research in Leadership and Diversity’ with a gift of €3M in honour of recently retired Unilever CEO Patrick Cescau (INSEAD MBA'76).
The gift is in the form of a named restricted endowment that will exist in perpetuity to honour Mr. Cescau and Unilever’s generous gift to INSEAD. It is hoped that the research output from the Fund will help advance Unilever’s ongoing commitment to the promotion of women into leadership positions.
‘We are honoured that Unilever has chosen INSEAD with this extremely generous endowed gift,’ said J. Frank Brown, Dean of INSEAD. ‘Our partnership with the company is one which we cherish not only for its longevity, but also because it reflects a mutual alignment regarding the issues of leadership and diversity in a global business environment.’
The Fund will be directed by INSEAD Professor Herminia Ibarra, the Cora Chaired Professor of Leadership and Learning at INSEAD.
‘Increasing diversity at the top starts with leadership development,’ stated Ibarra commenting on the research agenda for the Unilever gift. ‘Our inaugural two-year study will explore the experiences of men and women from a diversity of backgrounds, as they prepare to move into bigger, more strategic leadership roles in a very uncertain and turbulent world.’
Sandy Ogg, Chief Human Resources Officer at Unilever, in announcing the gift says, "Addressing gender diversity is a key leadership issue for many organisations. For Unilever, this gift is a strategic investment that should help us and other companies find solutions to our growing need for identifying, recognising and advancing talented leaders.’
About Unilever
Unilever’s mission is to add vitality to life. We meet everyday needs for nutrition, hygiene and personal care with brands that help people feel good, look good and get more out of life.
Unilever is one of the world’s leading suppliers of fast moving consumer goods with strong local roots in more than 100 countries across the globe. Its portfolio includes some of the world’s best known and most loved brands including thirteen €1 billion brands and global leadership in many categories in which the company operates. The portfolio features brand icons such as Knorr, Hellmann’s, Lipton, Becel, Dove, Lux, Pond's, Axe, Sunsilk, Omo.
Unilever has around 174,000 employees in approaching 100 countries and generated annual sales of €40 billion in 2008. For more information about Unilever and its brands, please visit www.unilever.com.
