Unilever New Zealand has recently appointed Nigel Melhuish, Keely Pipkin, and Sailen Mudaly to senior leadership positions.
After eight years with the company, Nigel Melhuish was appointed head of country New Zealand, in addition to his role as New Zealand's supply chain manager.
Before joining Unilever, Melhuish 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, he has brought extensive experience to the role.
“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,” said Melhuish.
Keely Pipkin will join the business as head of sales in New Zealand. She previously held this position at Nestlé Purina. She will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the role, having held numerous sales and category positions across leading multinationals in the country.
She is passionate about building teams and retail partnerships and looked forward to joining a high-performing team at this pivotal time of transformation. Keely will officially commence her new role on the 17th of March, 2025.
Sailen Mudaly has been appointed head of country and sales for the New Zealand ice cream business. His appointment marked an important milestone in separating the ice cream business, which was announced in early 2024.
Most recently, Mudaly was general manager of sales at Essano Ltd, where he played a key role in driving growth across multiple channels and prominent retail banners in Australia and New Zealand.
Mudaly has also held various sales and marketing roles at Colgate-Palmolive and Reckitt in New Zealand. He has been actively involved in the NZFGC Talent and Diversity working group, helping attract top talent to FMCG.
“I’m incredibly excited to join the ice cream business at such a pivotal time, combining my experience from 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,” said Mudaly.
“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 completion by the end of 2025. It will be separated by demerger by listing 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 followed a full review by the board of separation options, focused on maximising returns for shareholders, setting the business up for success and execution certainty by the end of 2025.
