Intercontinental Hotels Group today unveiled a heavy-hitting chairman to replace the retiring David Webster.
Former Unilever chief executive Patrick Cescau, pictured, will arrive at the world’s biggest hotels group at the start of next year, when nine-year veteran Webster stands down.
Cescau was credited with transforming a sprawling Unilever during his four-year stint, though some investors continued to believe the company remained less than the sum of its parts.
Headhunters said the 63-year-old Frenchman’s experience of a multinational with scores of top brands would be invaluable to IHG.
David Kappler, IHG’s senior non-executive director, said Cescau’s “extensive international experience and understanding of leading brands” made him ideal to lead the board and oversee chief executive Richard Solomons.
Cescau is also senior independent director at Tesco, the supermarkets group, and Pearson, the education and publishing group that owns the Financial Times.
He led Unilever until 2008, spending 35 years with the Anglo-Dutch group.
