Recently, according to report, Esi Eggleston Bracey is set to leave Unilever as chief growth and marketing officer, marking a key leadership change amid a broader restructuring at the consumer goods giant. Eggleston Bracey will depart at the end of January following a handover period, while Leandro Barreto, currently chief marketing officer of Unilever’s beauty and well-being business group, will expand his remit to become chief marketing officer for Unilever and beauty and well-being from Jan. 1.
The company said the move reflects a wider transformation in how Unilever markets its brands and engages with consumers during a period of rapid industry change and digital acceleration, with greater ownership shifting closer to its business groups.
Eggleston Bracey joined Unilever in 2018 to lead beauty and personal care in North America, where the group said she delivered a “step-change in performance” and laid the foundations for renewed growth momentum in the U.S. business. Over her eight-year tenure, Unilever credited her with redefining how the company builds demand globally. Chief executive officer Fernando Fernandez praised her “significant contribution,” noting that the groundwork is now in place for the next phase of marketing transformation under Barreto, whom Unilever describes as a seasoned marketer with more than 20 years of experience and a reputation for disruptive creativity and culturally relevant brand building.
Her departure comes as Unilever continues a sweeping organizational overhaul, sharpening its focus on beauty, well-being and personal care as core growth engines. The beauty and well-being division, valued at about 13.2 billion euros and home to power brands such as Dove, Vaseline, Nutrafol and Liquid I.V., now sits at the center of the group’s strategy.
Fernandez has said he expects beauty and personal care to contribute two-thirds of sales in the medium term, up from roughly 51 percent today, alongside heavier investment in the U.S. and India, premium segments and digital commerce. These strategic shifts are unfolding in parallel with significant cost-cutting measures, including plans to eliminate 7,500 office-based roles globally and generate around 800 million euros in savings by 2027, underscoring the scale of change reshaping Unilever’s leadership and operating model.
