Unilever's Dutch boss 'embarrassed' by taking home £9.4m last year is hardline Remainer who told his workers to vote against Brexit

  • Paul Polman has been CEO of consumer goods giant Unilever since 2009
  • 60-year-old millionaire Dutchman millionaire is married with three sons
  • He originally studied to be a Catholic priest and then wanted to be a doctor
  • Newcastle United supporter once said he was 'ashamed' of his £9.4m pay

Married father-of-three Paul Polman, 60, has been the CEO of Unilever since January 2009

Married father-of-three Paul Polman, 60, has been the CEO of Unilever since January 2009

The Dutch head of Unilever says he identifies as a Geordie as they are 'humble' - and that he is embarrassed by his £9million-a-year salary.

But Paul Polman is also staunchly anti-Brexit and put his name to a letter from Unilever bosses to workers telling them the company would be damaged by a vote to leave the EU. 

It left employees in no doubt where their leaders stood: 'Unilever in the UK...would...be negatively impacted if the UK were to leave the European Union.

'We therefore hope...the UK will choose to Remain and thereby continue to play a central role in Unilever's long-term growth and prosperity.' 

Mr Polman, 60, has been the CEO of Unilever since January 2009.

Born and brought up in the Dutch city of Enschede, his father was the executive of a tyre company while his mother was a schoolteacher who quit her job in order to raise her family.

One of six children, their household was staunchly Catholic. Mr Polman spent time studying for the priesthood in a Carmelite seminary before deciding he wanted to become a doctor.

However, places to study medicine were limited and he was not picked in the lottery system at the time so he instead went on to earn a BA from the University of Groningen in 1977.

Two years later he gained an MA in Economics and an MBA in Finance and International Marketing at the University of Cincinnati.

Mr Polman, who now has homes in London, Geneva and a summer house in Michigan, worked at Proctor and Gamble for 27 years, starting as a cost analyst in 1979.

He moved up the ranks, becoming managing director of P&G UK, president of global fabric care, and group president for Europe.

The business veteran is married to wife Kim,with whom he has three adult sons (all pictured)

The business veteran is married to wife Kim,with whom he has three adult sons (all pictured)

Mr Polman spent time studying for the priesthood in a Carmelite seminary before deciding he wanted to become a doctor. However, places to study medicine were limited and he was not picked in the lottery system at the time so he went into economics, finance and marketing

Mr Polman spent time studying for the priesthood in a Carmelite seminary before deciding he wanted to become a doctor. However, places to study medicine were limited and he was not picked in the lottery system at the time so he went into economics, finance and marketing

Mr Polman, who enjoys running marathons, reading, sailing and mountain-climbing in his spare time, then joined Nestle in 2006 as CFO and head of the Americas.

Then, in 2009 Mr Polman, who drives a 1964 E-Type Jaguar, was named CEO of Unilever.

The business chief set a target to double its size while reducing its overall environmental footprint, arguing sustainability must be a focus in a world of finite resources.

Mr Polman was once interviewed by his son Sebastian about business and gender equality

Mr Polman was once interviewed by his son Sebastian about business and gender equality

Mr Polman earns £9.4million a year but says he is 'embarrassed' by his pay packet.

He has said that there is an 'obscene excess in salary' handed to chief executives of businesses these days.

'I am ashamed of the amount of money I earn,' Polman told the Washington Post in an interview in 2014, when his salary was around 10million euros. 

UNILEVER CHIEF'S CV

1977: BBA/BA, University of Groningen. Followed by MA in economics and an MBA in finance and international marketing from the University of Cincinnati, Ohio

1979: Joins P&G finance department as a cost analyst before switching to marketing

1995: Managing director, P&G UK

2001: Group president Europe, P&G

2006: Leaves P&G after 27 years to become chief financial officer at Nestle

2009: January 1, Joins Unilever as CEO

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He went on to argue that people at the top executive level should not be motivated by salary because iIf you would pay me double, I am not going to work twice as much, because I'm already probably maximizing my time available.'  

He is reportedly paid £1.3million as a base salary and benefits from substantial bonuses and expenses.

The business veteran is married to wife Kim, a cellists with a Geneva orchestra, with whom he has three adult sons. 

He met Kim, an American,  38 years ago at a 'collective bargaining course' at the University of Cincinnati.

The couple are both on the board of directors for the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust, a charity which aims to improve the lives of blind and visually impaired children in Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, and Ethiopia through projects aimed at improving their literacy.

Mr Polman is also a proud Newcastle United supporter. During an interview he once said: 'I used to go to watch Les Ferdinand, Faustino Asprilla and Alan Shearer.

'I see myself as a Geordie. They're very humble people.'  

Mr Polman, pictured elft, is pictured with Prince Harry an UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Atlantic Council's Annual Awards Dinner Honoring HRH Prince Harry  in Washington

Mr Polman, pictured elft, is pictured with Prince Harry an UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at the Atlantic Council's Annual Awards Dinner Honoring HRH Prince Harry  in Washington

In a revealing interview with The Telegraph back in 2009, Mr Polman revealed that he survived the Mumbai hotel terror attack.

He was staying at the Taj Hotel in Mumbai, India,  in November 2008 and was enjoying a handover meal with Unilever's previous CEO, Frenchman Patrick Cescau, when gunmen stormed the building.

He told the paper: 'It was very unfortunate for the families affected and for India as well.

'But sometimes when something happens to you, you can't do anything about it but you can do something with it. 

'That's what happened to me because I'm now seeing a lot of qualities in people that I didn't see before.'  

Mr Polman and his three sons in this undated photo. All four recently took part in a charity hike for the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust. He is on the board of directors for the African charity

Mr Polman and his three sons in this undated photo. All four recently took part in a charity hike for the Kilimanjaro Blind Trust. He is on the board of directors for the African charity

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