Unilever Appoints Leandro Barreto as Chief Marketing Officer

Unilever has elevated Leandro Barreto to the role of Chief Marketing Officer, following the decision of Esi Eggleston Bracey to step down from the company. Barreto, who currently serves as Chief Marketing Officer for Unilever’s Beauty & Wellbeing Business Group, will now take charge of the company’s enterprise-wide marketing agenda.

With over two decades of experience, Barreto is widely recognised for his disruptive creativity and his ability to build culturally relevant, high-impact brands. According to Unilever, he is well positioned to drive the next phase of the company’s marketing transformation, aligning business group execution with long-term capability building across the organisation.

As part of the leadership transition, Esi Eggleston Bracey will leave Unilever at the end of January 2026, concluding a successful eight-year journey with the company. She joined Unilever in 2018 to lead Beauty & Personal Care in North America, where she delivered strong performance and helped lay the foundation for renewed growth in the US market. During her tenure as Chief Growth & Marketing Officer, Esi played a key role in redefining how Unilever builds demand globally. She will continue to work closely with Barreto through January to ensure a seamless handover.

Commenting on the development, Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez 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 am confident Leandro will make a major impact in his expanded role as we accelerate desire at scale and strengthen Unilever as a truly integrated marketing and sales organisation.”