Unilever appoints Leandro Barreto as Chief Marketing Officer

New Delhi: Unilever has announced changes to its global marketing leadership as part of a move to bring its enterprise-wide marketing agenda closer to its Business Groups.

The company said the shift follows several years of transformation in how it markets its brands and engages with consumers, a process led by Chief Growth & Marketing Officer Esi Eggleston Bracey during a period of rapid digital and industry change. Unilever said the next phase of this transition requires greater ownership at the Business Group level to deliver stronger impact.

As part of the changes, Leandro Barreto, currently Chief Marketing Officer for Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing Business Group, will expand his responsibilities to take charge of Unilever’s enterprise-wide marketing agenda. From January 1, 2026, he will take on the role of Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever and Beauty & Wellbeing.

Barreto has more than two decades of marketing experience and is known within the company for his work on brand building and creative execution. Unilever said his expanded role is intended to link Business Group-level execution more closely with the company’s long-term marketing capabilities.

Esi Eggleston Bracey will leave Unilever at the end of January 2026, concluding an eight-year tenure with the company. She joined Unilever in 2018 to lead Beauty & Personal Care in North America and later served as Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, where she oversaw changes to Unilever’s global demand-building approach. She will work with Barreto during January to support the transition.

Commenting on the leadership change, Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez said, “I would like to thank Esi for her significant contribution to Unilever and wish her every success in the next chapter of her career. With strong groundwork now in place, I know Leandro will make a big impact in his expanded role as we accelerate desire at scale and turn Unilever into a true marketing and sales machine.”