Magnum Ice Cream Company appoints Jochanan Senf as CEO for Ben & Jerry’s

UK – The Magnum Ice Cream Company, a newly formed entity created from Unilever’s ice cream division, has appointed Jochanan Senf as the new CEO of Ben & Jerry’s, marking a pivotal moment in the brand’s ongoing legal confrontation with its independent board.

This leadership change intensifies existing tensions surrounding the ice cream maker’s governance and operational autonomy.

Senf, a seasoned executive with a long tenure at Unilever, previously held the position of managing director for Ben & Jerry’s Europe.

In this role, he successfully expanded the brand’s market presence across Europe, focusing on aligning operations with Unilever’s broader corporate strategies while maintaining Ben & Jerry’s commitment to social responsibility and sustainability.

His extensive experience in the food and beverage industry equips him with a deep understanding of market trends and consumer preferences, which will be crucial as he steps into this new role.

The announcement comes as Ben & Jerry’s has been ensnarled in a legal fight with Unilever over the removal of the ice cream’s former CEO, Dave Stever.

Ben & Jerry’s claimed its parent company fired Stever for backing the brand’s social mission and not because of his job performance.

The legal case, filed in the Southern District of New York, accuses Unilever of violating the terms of a merger agreement by attempting to suppress Ben & Jerry’s well-known social mission.

The conflict surfaced a month after Ben & Jerry’s publicly accused Unilever of pressuring the company to stop criticizing former President Donald Trump.

According to Ben & Jerry’s legal filing, Unilever allegedly threatened Ben & Jerry’s personnel, including CEO David Stever, with repercussions if they did not comply with efforts to silence the company’s social and political stance.

The independent board of Ben & Jerry’s said the Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza is a genocide, escalating a bitter feud between the ice cream maker and Unilever.

“Ben & Jerry’s believes in human rights and advocates for peace, and we join with those around the world who denounce the genocide in Gaza,” the board said in a statement viewed by Reuters. “We stand with all who raise their voices against genocide in Gaza — from petition-signers to street marchers to those risking arrest.”

In response to the legal filing, a spokesperson for Unilever expressed disappointment that the details of an internal employee conversation had been made public. The company stated it had made repeated attempts to engage the [Ben & Jerry’s] board and follow the correct process in addressing the issue.

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