David Atherton
David’s career spanned 32 years with Unilever in a range of technical and supply chain leadership roles in Europe, Japan and across North and South America. He has extensive experience in manufacturing operations management, continuous improvement methodologies, reliability and maintenance engineering, capital project management, product innovation scale up and commercialization, technology development & prototyping, factory floor IT, and quality management and compliance.
David’s experience was gained across all of Unilever’s businesses – Personal Care, Home Care, Foods, Ice Cream and Beverages. He has led new product and technology launches, managed manufacturing network strategy development and restructuring programs, and developed and implemented organization design and change initiatives. This has been achieved across a range of markets – from North America to emerging economies in Africa – and in contrasting cultures – from Western Europe to Japan, India and Brazil.
Throughout his career, David has consistently driven tangible business results: reduced costs, increased free cash flow, improved service and reliability, and dramatically reduced speed to market. This has been achieved through his ability to integrate supply chain, financial and marketplace requirements into coherent and impactful manufacturing, engineering and technical strategy change programs.
David is renowned for his ability to clearly communicate, build and grow teams, collaborate across organizational boundaries, and create pragmatic and sustainable solutions. He engages people through his energy and passion for manufacturing and technology.