Exclusive: Unilever global CIO quits

Neil Cameron, global chief information officer at Unilever, has left the firm after a seven-year stint, Computer Weekly has learnt.

Senior vice-president of finance and IT for Western Europe Willem Eelman, a Unilever veteran who joined the company in 1993 as a financial controller, has been appointed as Cameron's replacement.

"We can confirm that Neil has left Unilever to pursue other opportunities. We wish him every success in his future endeavours," said a Unilever spokesman.

During his time at the consumer goods firm, Cameron led a 4,000-strong IT function and a multimillion-pound budget, while driving the global implementation of SAP as part of a company-wide efficiency plan, dubbed "One Unilever".

Another highlight during Cameron's stint at the Anglo-Dutch food and household goods maker was a seven-year services deal with HP for the outsourcing of the firm's infrastructure in 2008.

Cameron's career spans several years of experience in IT management, acquired in companies such as Marks & Spencer, Dixons, IBM and Diageo.

He remains a member of HP's board of advisors and holds a seat in the advisory boards of consumer body Which? and IT strategy organisation Leading Edge Forum.

Cameron is also part of the CIO board of sector skills council e-Skills UK. The organisation often rotates the members of the board as they change jobs, but could not confirm whether he would be resigning from its board.