Unilever's Paul Anthony Katimbang steps down as global brand director after 20 years

Paul Anthony Katimbang, global brand director, Closeup, has stepped down from his role. "I started with Unilever at the age of 20...20 years later, it's finally time to say farewell. Thank you Unilever for trusting this boy who grew up in a rural village in the Philippines with the running of global hair care and oral care brands in over 102 countries. I am forever grateful," Katimbang (pictured) said in a LinkedIn post. Unilever's spokesperson confirmed his exit.  

In his role, Katimbang said he's responsible for delivering six straight years of turnover, equity, and/or margin growth. His job scope include overseeing global strategic brand agenda, delivering brand purpose, assuring world-class innovation, and creating compelling digital and mobile-first communications used in 60 countries, his LinkedIn said. 

Before that, he was the global brand director for Clear and was responsible for delivering three straight years of turnover, equity, and margin growth, according to his LinkedIn. Before taking on global roles, Katimbang worked for Unilever in the Philippines, managing Dove, Vaseline, Ponds, Closeup, and Clear.

Katimbang first joined Unilever in 2002 as a management trainee for about two and a half years, and later took on other roles, including brand manager, senior brand manager, marketing manager and global marketing manager for various aspects in beauty and personal care. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has reached out to Katimbang for comment.

Most recently, Closeup entered the metaverse by inviting couples to break free from real-world constraints and celebrate their union in Decentraland, a 3D virtual world powered by blockchain technology. This comes with the brand's continuous push to celebrate love and break barriers around intimacy. "Closeup City Hall of Love", an on-chain asset on Decentraland, offers an immersive virtual experience where diverse couples can mint their own NFT marriage certificates. This experience is designed to be inclusive and accessible, especially for couples who have been denied the right to marry due to the nature of their relationships, Closeup said.

Separately on the F&B front, Unilever also sold its tea business, ekaterra, to private equity firm CVC Capital Partners that month, for about US$5.1 billion on a cash-free, debt-free basis. Unilever will retain its tea business in Indonesia, India, and Nepal, as well as its interests the Pepsi Lipton ready-to-drink tea joint ventures and associated distribution businesses. With a portfolio of 34 brands including Lipton, PG tips, Pukka, T2 and TAZO, ekaterra generated revenues of US$2.2 billion in 2020. The sale is expected to the complete in the second half of 2022.

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