Unilever New Zealand – maker of household brands including, Persil, Rexona, Dove, Continental, and Streets ice creams – has recently appointed Nigel Melhuish, Keely Pipkin and Sailen Mudaly, in senior leadership positions.
After 8 years with the company, Nigel Melhuish has been appointed as Head of Country NZ in addition to his role as NZ Supply Chain Manager. Prior to joining Unilever, Nigel spent 12 years at Henkel, spanning several roles including Head of Process and Systems APAC and ANZ Supply Chain Director. With 20 years in FMCG, Nigel brings extensive experience to the role.
Nigel says, “The New Zealand business has consistently delivered strong results. Last year, marked a decade of consecutive of growth, illustrating the strong position Unilever holds in New Zealand and its continued ability to delight Kiwis across the country.”
Keely Pipkin will join the business as Head of Sales NZ. Keely joins Unilever from Nestlé Purina, where she was Head of Sales. Keely brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role, having held numerous sales and category positions across leading multi-nationals within NZ. Keely is passionate about building teams and retail partnerships and is looking forward to joining a high performing team at such a pivotal time of transformation. Keely will officially commence her new role on 17 March 2025.
Keely says, “I’m delighted to be joining the Unilever team. With an extensive portfolio of incredible brands, I’m really excited to get stuck into this new role.”
Sailen Mudaly has been appointed Head of Country and Sales for the NZ Ice Cream business. His appointment marks an important milestone in the separation of the Ice Cream business, which was announced in early 2024.
Most recently, Sailen was General Manager of Sales at Essano Ltd where he played a key role in driving growth across multiple channels and major retail banners in both Australia and New Zealand. Sailen has also held a range of sales and marketing roles at Colgate-Palmolive and Reckitt in New Zealand. Sailen is actively involved in the NZ FGC Talent & Diversity working group which is helping attract top talent to FMCG.
Sailen says, “I’m incredibly excited to be joining the Ice Cream business at such a pivotal time, bringing together my experience from both multinational and high-growth local brands. The next year will be about re-founding Ice Cream to create a world-leading, stand-alone business with greater flexibility and autonomy. This will enable us to focus, move with pace, and foster closer collaborations with our customers to deliver market-leading availability, category growth, and perfect execution. I’m really looking forward to leading the New Zealand business through this exciting new chapter.”
As announced in Unilever’s full year results, the separation of Ice Cream is on track to complete by the end of 2025. Ice Cream will be separated by way of demerger, through listing of the business in Amsterdam, London and New York, the same three exchanges on which Unilever PLC shares are currently traded. The Ice Cream business will be incorporated in the Netherlands and will continue to be headquartered in Amsterdam. This decision follows a full review by the Board of separation options, focused on maximising returns for shareholders, setting the Ice Cream business up for success and execution certainty by the end of 2025.
