Anita Bhat-Zutshi

Chief Financial Officer Unilever - Ice Cream

Anita Bhat-Zutshi is an accomplished finance leader whose leadership philosophy— "Igniting positive, impactful change through courage, curiosity, and service"—embodies her dedication to driving exceptional business performance, leading significant transformations, and fostering talent development.

She began her career at Hindustan Unilever (HUL) in 1995, where she gained comprehensive experience in various finance partnering, stewardship, and expertise role and made history in 2014, becoming the first female Finance Vice President. After holding pivotal leadership positions within HPC and Sales finance at HUL, she spent the past decade managing global finance teams across diverse industries and regions. Notable positions include serving as CFO for the Middle East, North Africa, Turkey, and Russia region, leading group performance management, global commercial operations, and managing global transformation programs for Unilever. She also has private equity experience and served as CFO for AstraZeneca’s listed business in India.

Most recently, she held the position of Chief Financial Officer for Unilever's €8 billion Ice Cream division, a global leader in the industry with brands such as Walls, Magnum and Ben & Jerry’s. In this role, she was instrumental in driving competitive growth, profitability, and cash flow improvements, marking a significant enhancement in business performance—a first in many years. She played a key strategic role in developing and transitioning to a new value creation strategy for the business while overseeing its financial separation from Unilever, contributing as a founding member of the new ice cream company.

Throughout her career, Ms. Bhat-Zutshi and her teams have received numerous awards for value creation, transformation, and operational excellence. In 2021, she was honored with the WEQUAL award, recognizing outstanding women executives globally.

Over her 30-year career, Anita Bhat-Zutshi has worked in India, the UK, the UAE, and the Netherlands. She is known for her inspirational leadership and is an ardent advocate for Diversity & Inclusion.

She is married, with two daughters, who are studying in the US. Now based in Rotterdam, when Anita isn't busy enjoying all that is ice cream, you will find her reading, watching a movie or TV series, or traveling with family and friends.