AXA vs Unilever: Founders, CEOs and History
AXA was founded in 1817 by Jacques-Théodore le Carpentier, Claude Bébéar and is led by Thomas Buberl. Unilever was founded in 1929 by William Hesketh Lever, Samuel van den Bergh, Anton Jurgens and is led by Fernando Fernandez.
Company facts
Founders
AXA
Jacques-Théodore le Carpentier
Little is recorded about le Carpentier beyond the founding act itself. In 1817 he and 17 other property owners in Rouen created the Compagnie d'Assurances Mutuelles contre l'Incendie for the departments of the Seine and the Eure, covering their own buildings a…
Claude Bébéar
Claude Bébéar built modern AXA. After joining in 1958 he spent 17 years inside the business, including 1964 to 1966 in Canada creating the life insurance arm of the group subsidiary Provinces Unies, before becoming chief executive in 1975 following Sahut d'Iza…
Unilever
William Hesketh Lever
William Hesketh Lever (later Lord Leverhulme) co-founded Lever Brothers with his brother James in 1885 and built it around Sunlight Soap, one of the first branded, individually wrapped soaps sold at mass scale.
Samuel van den Bergh
Samuel van den Bergh led Van den Bergh, a Dutch margarine maker that became one of Jurgens' main rivals. The two families combined their businesses into Margarine Unie in 1927, and Margarine Unie merged with Lever Brothers in 1929 to create Unilever.
Anton Jurgens
Anton Jurgens' family firm was among the first to manufacture margarine commercially in the Netherlands after the product was invented in France. Jurgens competed for decades with the Van den Bergh family before the two merged into Margarine Unie in 1927.
CEOs and their tenures
AXA
- Claude Bébéar1975–2000
Chairman and CEO
Bébéar turned a Normandy mutual into a global insurer between 1975 and 2000. He took control of the Drouot Group in 1982, bought Présence in 1986, merged with Compagnie du Midi in 1988, took control of The Equitable in the United States in 1991, National Mutua…
Source - Henri de Castries2000–2016
Chairman and CEO
De Castries ran AXA from May 2000 to September 2016, through the dot-com collapse, the 2008 financial crisis and the euro-area debt crisis, without state support.
Source - Thomas Buberl2016–present
Chief Executive Officer
Buberl became chief executive in September 2016 and refocused AXA on insurance underwriting.
Source
Unilever
- Alan Jope2019–2023
Chief Executive Officer
Jope simplified Unilever's legal structure and organisation, which made later portfolio separations easier.
Source - Hein Schumacher2023–2025
Chief Executive Officer
Schumacher reset Unilever around fewer, bigger brands and set up the Ice Cream demerger before stepping down in February 2025.
Source - Fernando Fernandez2025–present
Chief Executive Officer
As CFO, the highly experienced Latin American executive enforces absolute financial discipline, attempting to restore investor confidence after years of sluggish stock performance.
Source
Timeline: AXA and Unilever side by side
1817AXA
Founding of the Compagnie d'Assurances Mutuelles contre l'Incendie
Jacques-Théodore le Carpentier and 17 other property owners in Rouen set up a mutual fire insurance company, the earliest predecessor of AXA. It stayed a Normandy mutual, later called Ancienne Mutuelle, for more than a century.
1884Unilever
Lever soap factory opens
William Hesketh Lever built the Port Sunlight soap business that became a key Unilever predecessor.
1929Unilever
Unilever created
Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie merged to form Unilever.
1929Unilever
Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie Merge
Lever Brothers and the Dutch Margarine Unie merged in 1929 to form Unilever.
1975AXA
Claude Bébéar becomes chief executive
Bébéar, recruited in 1958 by André Sahut d'Izarn, took over the Anciennes Mutuelles group in 1975 after Sahut d'Izarn's death and the settlement of a strike that had paralysed the company in April 1974.
1982AXA
Takeover of the Drouot Group
Bébéar took control of the Drouot Group, then the leading private French insurance group, and became its chairman alongside his role at Mutuelles Unies.
1984Unilever
Acquired Brooke Bond
Unilever acquired Brooke Bond in 1984 for ~$515 million (£390 million).
1985AXA
Creation of the AXA name
The group adopted the invented name AXA, short and pronounceable in any language, and Bébéar moved from running the insurance companies to chairing the group.
1986AXA
Acquisition of the Présence Group
AXA bought the Présence Group in April 1986, continuing the consolidation of French insurers.
1988AXA
Merger with Compagnie du Midi
The merger with Compagnie du Midi made AXA the second-largest French insurance group behind UAP and brought Equity and Law, then the sixth-largest life insurer in the United Kingdom. Bébéar was elected Manager of the Year the same year.
1989Unilever
Acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics
Unilever acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics in 1989.
1991AXA
Control of The Equitable in the United States
After a failed attempt to buy Farmers, AXA agreed in July 1991 to demutualise and take control of The Equitable, then the fifth-largest life insurer in the United States, which also brought Alliance Capital Management.
1993Unilever
Acquired Breyers
Unilever acquired Breyers in 1993.
1996AXA
Acquisition of UAP
AXA bought UAP, a French insurer twice its size, doubling its French business and reaching critical mass in the United Kingdom, Belgium and Germany. The merger took effect in 1997.
1999AXA
Guardian Royal Exchange and Nippon Dantai
Guardian Royal Exchange joined AXA in early 1999, adding scale in United Kingdom property, casualty and health insurance, and AXA took control of Nippon Dantai, then the thirteenth-largest life insurer in Japan.
2000Unilever
Acquired Maille
Unilever acquired Maille. Unilever acquired Maille in 2000.
2006AXA
Acquisition of Winterthur
AXA agreed to buy Winterthur from Credit Suisse for ~$14.8 billion (CHF 12.3 billion), about $8.93 billion (EUR 7.9 billion) in cash, strengthening its position in Switzerland, Germany and central and eastern Europe.
2011AXA
Sale of AXA Canada
AXA sold its Canadian operations to Intact Financial Corp. for ~$1.87 billion (C$2.6 billion) as part of a portfolio review.
2018AXA
Acquisition of XL Group
AXA bought XL Group for $15.3 billion in cash, shifting the group toward commercial property and casualty lines and creating the AXA XL platform.
2019Unilever
Alan Jope becomes CEO
Alan Jope became CEO of Unilever in 2019. Jope simplified Unilever's legal structure and organisation, which made later portfolio separations easier.
2020Unilever
Legal structure unified
Unilever moved to a single parent company structure after decades with British and Dutch holding companies.
2020Unilever
Single Parent Company
Unilever unified its dual structure into a single parent company, Unilever PLC, in November 2020.
2024AXA
Launch of the Unlock the Future plan
With its 2023 results in February 2024 AXA presented a 2024 to 2026 plan targeting underlying earnings per share growth of 6% to 8% a year, an underlying return on equity of 14% to 16% and a new capital management policy.
2025AXA
Sale of AXA Investment Managers to BNP Paribas
AXA completed the sale of AXA Investment Managers to BNP Paribas Cardif on July 1, 2025 for ~$5.76 billion (EUR 5.1 billion) in cash, a total transaction value of ~$6.1 billion (EUR 5.4 billion), and signed a long-term agreement for BNP Paribas to manage a lar…
2025AXA
Death of founder Claude Bébéar
AXA announced on November 4, 2025 that Claude Bébéar, its founder and Honorary Chairman, had died at the age of 90. He ran the group from 1975 to 2000 and created the AXA name in 1985.
2025Unilever
Fernando Fernandez becomes CEO
Fernando Fernandez was appointed CEO effective March 2025.
2025Unilever
Ice Cream demerger reflected
Unilever reported 2025 results on a continuing-operations basis after the Ice Cream business demerger.
Acquisitions
AXA
- Prima Assicurazioni (51% stake)2025Undisclosed
- Laya Healthcare2023Undisclosed
- XL Group2018$15.3B
- Winterthur2006$10B
- UAP (Union des Assurances de Paris)1996$7.8B
- The Equitable (US)1991$1B
Unilever
- Dr. Squatch2025Undisclosed
- Wild2025Undisclosed
- Minimalist2025Undisclosed
- Paula's Choice2021Undisclosed
- Sir Kensington's2017Undisclosed
- Weis2017Undisclosed
Questions about AXA vs Unilever
Who is the CEO of AXA SA and Unilever PLC?
AXA SA is led by Thomas Buberl and Unilever PLC is led by Fernando Fernandez. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was AXA SA founded vs Unilever PLC?
AXA SA was founded in 1817 — 112 years before Unilever PLC, which was founded in 1929. AXA SA's longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger Unilever PLC.
How many employees does AXA SA have compared to Unilever PLC?
AXA SA employs approximately 156,000 people, while Unilever PLC employs approximately 96,092. AXA SA has the larger workforce at 156,000 employees, compared to Unilever PLC's 96,092. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are AXA SA and Unilever PLC headquartered?
AXA SA is headquartered in France and Unilever PLC is headquartered in United Kingdom. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded AXA SA and Unilever PLC?
AXA SA was founded by Jacques-Théodore le Carpentier, Claude Bébéar. Unilever PLC was founded by William Hesketh Lever, Samuel van den Bergh, Anton Jurgens.
Which company has a longer operating history — AXA SA or Unilever PLC?
AXA SA has been operating for approximately 209 years, making it the more established of the two companies. Unilever PLC has been in operation for around 97 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the AXA vs Unilever overview