Keynote Speakers

Robbert de Vreede

Robbert has 24 years of experience working in various marketing and sales roles across several markets across the world. Currently Robbert is the Chief Marketing & Business Development Officer for Unilever’s Global Nutrition business, which is home to famous global brands such as Knorr, Hellmann’s & The Vegetarian Butcher, but is also to strong regional and local brands such as Horlicks, Bango, Lady’s Choice, Marmite and many more. The Nutrition Business Group contributes €12Bn turnover on yearly basis to Unilever. Robbert started his career in the Netherlands as a management trainee in Unilever’s Home & Personal Care business. Here he enjoyed the tough global competitive landscape, learned the business models of price per wash, the role technology can bring to deliver competitive products and discovered the power of global innovation and bold campaigns to drive market development. Only when Robbert arrived in Nigeria to take responsibility for the total Unilever portfolio in that market he was emerged in the dynamics of the Foods business and loved it. When later taking on the responsibility for the Unilever Foods business in the Benelux he brought the Unox brand into vegetarian, got Knorr to help Dutch people to eat more vegetables and acquired The Vegetarian Butcher for Unilever. Robbert holds a strong passion for brands and even more so for brands that offer a point of view, drive positive change and dare to stand for something. Brands that are authentic and get real become unmissable and with that offer a platform for growth and positive change. Robbert is a strong believer that purpose can be business and that good business helps to bring scale to purpose. He is proud of the Future Food Commitments Unilever made in 2020, and is motivated to deliver on those with the Nutrition brands across the Globe; making healthier products for people and planet and deliver good business for Unilever. Robbert enjoys food in his social life as well; he likes to cook for family and friends and loves how food brings people together. In the weekend Robbert can also be found on his bike to keep a healthy balance between calories and exercise. Robbert studied Economics at the Erasmus University and earlier served on the supervisory board of the Dutch packaging waste fund which focused on making business sense out of the collection and recycling of packaging. Robbert is married, has two daughters (18 & 17) and a 13-year-old son.