A Ukrainian soldier injured in the war with Russia received a response this month from the new boss of Unilever. Oleh Simoroz had urged the consumer goods group to stop doing business in the country, complaining that “you’re paying taxes to the aggressor country and thus financing terrorism”.
In his reply, Hein Schumacher said the matter was “not straightforward” and that Unilever, one of a few western multinationals to continue operating in Russia, had been unable to arrange an exit that met the company’s “objectives”. Nevertheless, the Dutchman promised Simoroz, 26, that he and his team would look at the situation “with a fresh pair of eyes”.
Quitting Russia, where Unilever’s profits doubled to about £110 million last year, is unlikely to be the only
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