Observers notet that Treschow's successor will at some point be charged with managing a transition to a new chief executive, with Paul Polman having served in the role since 2009. Polman is credited with having improved Unilever's performance, although a slowdown in emerging markets growth, which has also hit other consumer goods groups, has put a dampener on recent results.
Under his stewardship, the company has placed significant emphasis on a sustainability agenda, announcing a series of initiatives aimed at tackling global social and environmental problems. At the same time, Unilever, like so many other big multinationals, is trying to come to grips with its far-flung empire. Analysts and bankers say that its focus on home and personal care means that is likely to spin off or sell its spreads business, which includes Flora margarine, at some point. The company has insisted that there are no firm plans to do so despite placing them in a standalone business unit several months ago.
As for a new chairman, it is unclear whether its next chairman will be picked from its existing crop of non-executive directors, who include the recently appointed Vittorio Colao, the Vodafone chief executive. In a statement to Sky News about its hunt for Treschow's successor, a Unilever spokeswoman said: "Non-executive directors normally serve for a maximum of nine years.
"Succession planning for the next chairman is in place and ongoing. The Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee and the Board spends considerable time looking at the NED [non-executive directors'] and chairman succession."