Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group (SMBC Group) appointed Paul Polman, the former CEO of Unilever, to the role of SMBC Group global advisor.
Polman served as CEO of Unilever from 2009 to 2019 and has experience in the field of sustainability, promoting environment and social initiatives through the United Nations Global Compact and other organizations. He has served as vice chair of United Nations Global Compact since 2018.
SMBC Group exchanges information with its global advisors with respect to changes in global commercial flows, trends in financial business, and regional political and economic issues while also obtaining their advice and insight on a regular basis concerning risks for the purpose of formulating business strategies.
Polman will join SMBC’s current global advisors, including Andrew Liveris, former executive chairman of DowDuPont; Cesar V. Purisima, former secretary of finance for the Republic of the Philippines; and Joseph Yam, who was formerly chief executive of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and who currently serves as a member of the executive council of Hong Kong SAR.
