Unilever has appointed Leandro Barreto as its new Chief Marketing Officer, with current CMO Esi Eggleston Bracey set to leave the company at the end of January 2026. Barreto, who currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing Business Group, will take on responsibility for the company’s enterprise-wide marketing agenda in his expanded role.
With over two decades of marketing experience, Barreto has been associated with leading brand and category initiatives within Unilever. In his new position, he will oversee the company’s global marketing strategy, linking execution at the Business Group level with Unilever’s broader, long-term capability and transformation priorities.
As part of this leadership transition, Esi Eggleston Bracey will step down after eight years at Unilever. She joined the company in 2018 to lead Beauty & Personal Care in North America, where she played a role in improving business performance and supporting growth momentum in the US market. During her tenure as Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, she was involved in shaping how Unilever approaches demand creation across markets globally. Bracey will work alongside Barreto through January to support a smooth handover.
Commenting on the change, Fernando Fernandez, CEO, Unilever, 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.”
