Unilever Quickly Places Seven Bestfoods Execs

Compiled ByJohn S. McClenahen Within hours after shareholders on Oct. 2 approved the merger of Unilever and Bestfoods Inc., Unilever announced that seven senior Bestfoods executives would hold top positions in the newly created, global Foods Div. Effective Jan. 1, 2001, Anthony Simon becomes president, marketing; Diego Bevilacqua will be president, Foodservice; Neil Beckerman takes over a president, Foods-North America; Oscar Imbellone becomes executive vice president of Foods Latin America; Richard Oppenheim will be executive vice president of Foods; and Jim Liberty becomes senior vice president for human resources. Merrill Eastman remains president of Bestfoods Baking Co. Also changing roles is C.R. "Dick" Shoemate, chairman and CEO of Bestfoods. He's chosen not to continue in a full-time executive position at Unilever, but will be an advisory director.