UNILEVER APPOINTS BUSINESS GROUP PRESIDENTS.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 1, 1996--Unilever's reorganization of its top-level management structure, announced in March, entered a new phase today, Monday, July 1, with the appointments of all 14 Business Group Presidents. From today, the fourteen will be responsible for the Group's operational management worldwide.

The new structure is designed to create a sharper regional focus and a clearer separation of corporate strategic leadership from operational execution. From September 1, strategic leadership will be provided by an Executive Committee of eight, headed by the chairmen of Unilever N.V. and of Unilever PLC.

As the chief executives of their respective sectors, the business group presidents will have full profit responsibility and will head management teams responsible for the development of regional strategy and operational management.

Additionally, within Europe and North America the respective business group presidents will form a Europe Committee and a North American Committee. Each will be chaired by one of the presidents and each will work to bring together Unilever's interests in the core product groups and generate an overall regional strategy.

The business group presidents reflect the internationality of Unilever, representing six nationalities and, between them, having operational experience in some 18 different countries.

The appointments to the role of business group presidents, and their areas of responsibility, are:

Henri Bonpun - business group president, Africa French. Joined Unilever 1960. Has long experience of Unilever's African operations, having been managing director of the United Africa Company and chairman of Cote d'Ivoire. Currently chairman of Unilever South Africa. He will be responsible for all countries in continental Africa, except North Africa, and Unilever's Plantations and Plant Science Group.

Jeff Fraser - business group president, Central Asia & Middle East British. Joined Unilever 1967. Has a financial background and has experience in Africa, Asia and Europe. He has been chairman of two UK businesses and from 1992 to 1995 ran Unilever's businesses in Australasia. He currently has operational responsibility in Latin America & Central Asia. Will be responsible for India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Middle East and North Africa. Richard Goldstein - business group president, Foods North America American. Joined Unilever 1975. He was previously president and chief executive officer of Unilever Canada. He is currently president of Unilever United States and runs operations in Canada and Mexico. He will be responsible for all foods, including beverages, ice cream and frozen foods businesses, in USA and Canada.

Andre van Heemstra - business group president, South East Asia & Australasia Dutch. Joined Unilever 1970. With a marketing background, he has experience in Africa, Asia and Europe in both detergents and foods. He is currently chairman of Langnese Iglo in Germany, one of Unilever's biggest ice cream and frozen food companies. He will be responsible for Australia, New Zealand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam.

James Kennedy - business group president, National Starch and Chemical Company and Crosfield American. Joined Unilever 1962. Has a career in speciality chemicals having spent 34 years in National Starch and Chemical Co. Prior to his current role as president and chief executive officer he was vice president international and chief operating officer. He will continue to be responsible for National Starch in addition to Crosfield.

Rudy Markham - business group president, North East Asia Anglo-Dutch parentage. Joined Unilever 1968. Has a financial background and was formerly Unilever's group treasurer. He has worked extensively in Europe and Asia. He was chairman of Unilever's businesses in Australasia and currently runs Unilever's business in Japan. He will be responsible for China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea and Japan.

Jean Martin - business group president, Central and Eastern Europe French. Joined Unilever 1968. Has experience in foods and home and personal care. He has run businesses in France, Cote d' Ivoire and Italy and is currently chief executive officer of Personal Products Europe. Will be responsible for countries including the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, all other CIS States, and Turkey. Viktor Rensing - business group president, Quest and Unichema German. Joined Unilever 1957. He ran Unilever's oleo-chemical business, Unichema, before moving in 1993 to become chairman of Quest International, one of the world's largest fragrances and food ingredients companies. He will now be responsible for Unichema in addition to Quest.

John Sharpe - business group president, Home and Personal Care Europe British. Joined Unilever 1963. Has long experience in home and personal care. He has held senior corporate marketing positions and ran Lever in Switzerland, Elida Faberg and Birds Eye Wall's in the UK. He is currently chief executive officer of Lever Europe. He will be responsible for Home and Personal Care in Europe and Unipath. Charles Strauss - business group president, Latin America American. Joined Unilever 1985. He has broad business experience having previously worked for Heinz. He joined Unilever with the acquisition of Chesebrough-Pond's. He ran Rag# Foods in the USA and Langnese Iglo in Germany before becoming president of Lever US. He will be responsible for all companies in Central and South America, including Mexico and Caribbean islands.

Cetin Yuceulug - business group president, Diversey and Lever Industrial International Turkish. Joined Unilever 1973. Has detergents experience in Turkey and East Asia. He is currently chairman of Lever Industrial International, Unilever's worldwide industrial detergents business, and of Diversey following its acquisition earlier this year. He will be responsible for the newly created Diversey and Lever Industrial International Group.

As previously announced, three Unilever board members will take on roles as business group presidents while retaining their responsibilities as directors of Unilever. They are: Roy Brown who becomes business group president for Food & Beverage Europe when he succeeds Dr Okko Muller on January 1, 1997; Antony Burgmans, who takes responsibility for Ice Cream & Frozen Food Europe and who will chair the Europe Committee; and Robert Phillips who on May 1 became business group president for Home and Personal Care North America, which includes prestige fragrances and cosmetics worldwide. He will also chair the North American Committee.

Background: With sales of close to $50 billion in 1995, Unilever is one of the world's largest consumer products companies. It produces and markets a wide range of foods and beverages, soaps and detergents, personal care products and specialty chemicals. Unilever operates through some 500 companies in 90 countries around the globe, and employs more than 308,000 people. In the United States, Unilever's sales exceeded $10 billion in 1995. It employs 24,000 people and has 100 offices and manufacturing sites in 25 states. Unilever's major U.S. operating companies include Thomas J. Lipton, Good Humor-Breyers Ice Cream, Van den Bergh Foods, Gorton's, Lever Brothers, Chesebrough-Pond's, Helene Curtis, Elizabeth Arden, Calvin Klein Cosmetics and National Starch and Chemical.

CONTACT: Unilever

John T. Gould Jr.

212/906-4694