Luis Di Como, Unilever’s top media executive, will leave amid restructuring

Di Como is partner responsible for major media players such as Google, Meta and News Corp., as well as agencies such as WPP and Omnicom. The company is currently conducting a review of its global media planning and buying account.

He has also played a key role in industry-wide initiatives in areas such as ad transparency and brand safety through his leadership roles with trade bodies such as the Mobile Marketing Association and the World Federation of Advertisers.

Di Como will remain with the company until Dec. 31, according to the memo.

Unilever and Di Como did not respond to BI’s requests for comment.

Di Como’s departure comes as Unilever undergoes a massive restructuring of its business. In March, Unilever’s new chief executive Hein Schumacher announced plans to cut 7,500 jobs and break up its ice cream business as part of cost-cutting measures aimed at saving €800 million ( approximately $885 million) over the next three years.

Unilever’s poor stock market performance caught the attention of activist investor Nelson Peltz, who in 2022 joined its board and whose hedge fund Trian began building a stake in the company. Trian reduced that position last month, although it still owns 32.6 million shares.

People familiar with the matter said Unilever has sought to eliminate organizational layers and centralized management, and that the media team has not been immune to those changes.

The note says Di Como has decided to leave the company and will oversee the transition and support a newly created integrated brand experience team.

Selina Sykes, head of digital beauty and wellness, media and commerce, will now take responsibility for the budget and overall media activities of the beauty and wellness division.

Isabel Massey, currently global media director at the alcohol giant, Diageo is set to join Unilever in October as vice president of integrated brand experiences. A Diageo spokesman confirmed Massey’s impending departure to Unilever but offered no further comment.