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General Motors vs Unilever: Founders, CEOs and History

General Motors was founded in 1908 by William C. Durant and is led by Mary Barra. Unilever was founded in 1929 by William Hesketh Lever, Samuel van den Bergh, Anton Jurgens and is led by Fernando Fernandez.

Company facts

General Motors

Founded
1908
Headquarters
Detroit, Michigan
Current CEO
Mary Barra
Employees
155,000

Unilever

Founded
1929
Headquarters
London, United Kingdom
Current CEO
Fernando Fernandez
Employees
96,092

Founders

General Motors

  • William C. Durant

    General Motors possesses one of the most chaotic, and consequential founding stories in American business history, built entirely through the aggressive, acquisitions of a single, effective, flawed visionary.

General Motors founders in full

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.

Unilever founders in full

CEOs and their tenures

General Motors

  1. Alfred P. Sloan1923–1956

    Former President, CEO, and Chairman

    Sloan is arguably the most influential corporate executive of the twentieth century.

    Source
  2. Rick Wagoner2000–2009

    Former Chairman and CEO

    Wagoner's tenure ended in historic disaster, culminating in the 2009 government-managed bankruptcy and his forced resignation by the Obama administration.

    Source
  3. Mary Barra2014–present

    Chair and Chief Executive Officer

    Under Barra, GM has focused on profitability over global volume, regained the top U.S. sales spot, and returned large amounts of cash to shareholders through buybacks.

    Source
  4. Paul Jacobson2020–present

    Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer

    Has emphasized cash generation, inventory and incentive discipline, and returning North America margins to the 8-10% range.

    Source
  5. Mark Reuss2020–present

    President

    Longtime GM product and engineering executive who previously led global product development.

    Source
  6. Sterling Anderson2025–present

    Executive Vice President and Chief Product Officer

    Leads GM's in-house autonomous-driving effort after the end of Cruise robotaxi funding.

    Source
General Motors CEO history in full

Unilever

  1. Alan Jope2019–2023

    Chief Executive Officer

    Jope simplified Unilever's legal structure and organisation, which made later portfolio separations easier.

    Source
  2. 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
  3. 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
Unilever CEO history in full

Timeline: General Motors and Unilever side by side

  1. 1884Unilever

    Lever soap factory opens

    William Hesketh Lever built the Port Sunlight soap business that became a key Unilever predecessor.

  2. 1908General Motors

    General Motors Founded

    William C. Durant incorporates General Motors in Hudson, New Jersey, on September 16, 1908, with Buick Motor Company as its primary asset.

  3. 1909General Motors

    Cadillac and Oldsmobile Acquired

    GM acquires Oldsmobile and the prestigious Cadillac Automobile Company, establishing the multi-brand architecture that will define GM's market segmentation strategy for decades.

  4. 1923General Motors

    Alfred Sloan Becomes President

    Alfred P. Sloan takes the GM presidency and begins implementing the decentralized divisional management structure and market segmentation strategy that transforms GM into the world's most admired corporate organization.

  5. 1929Unilever

    Unilever created

    Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie merged to form Unilever.

  6. 1929Unilever

    Lever Brothers and Margarine Unie Merge

    Lever Brothers and the Dutch Margarine Unie merged in 1929 to form Unilever.

  7. 1931General Motors

    GM Surpasses Ford as World's Largest Automaker

    General Motors overtakes Ford Motor Company as the world's largest automobile manufacturer by sales volume, a position it would hold for the majority of the next seven decades.

  8. 1984General Motors

    Saturn Corporation Founded

    GM establishes Saturn as a separate subsidiary intended to compete with Japanese small cars through innovative labor relations, retail practices, and manufacturing processes.

  9. 1984Unilever

    Acquired Brooke Bond

    Unilever acquired Brooke Bond in 1984 for ~$515 million (£390 million).

  10. 1989Unilever

    Acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics

    Unilever acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics in 1989.

  11. 1993Unilever

    Acquired Breyers

    Unilever acquired Breyers in 1993.

  12. 1996General Motors

    OnStar Connected Vehicle Service Launched

    GM introduces OnStar, the world's first embedded cellular connected vehicle service, offering emergency assistance, stolen vehicle tracking, and remote diagnostics.

  13. 2000Unilever

    Acquired Maille

    Unilever acquired Maille. Unilever acquired Maille in 2000.

  14. 2009General Motors

    Chapter 11 Bankruptcy and Government Bailout

    General Motors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on June 1, 2009, with $49.5 billion in U.S. Government assistance as part of the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

  15. 2010General Motors

    IPO Return to Public Markets

    General Motors returns to public markets through an initial public offering on November 18, 2010, raising approximately $23.1 billion - at the time one of the largest IPOs in U.S. History. The offering allows the U.S.

  16. 2014General Motors

    Mary Barra Becomes CEO

    Mary Barra, a 33-year GM veteran with a background in engineering and manufacturing, becomes CEO on January 15, 2014, becoming the first female CEO of a major global automaker.

  17. 2016General Motors

    Cruise Automation Acquired

    GM acquires Cruise Automation, a San Francisco-based autonomous vehicle startup, for approximately $1 billion - at the time one of the largest acquisitions in GM's modern history.

  18. 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.

  19. 2020Unilever

    Legal structure unified

    Unilever moved to a single parent company structure after decades with British and Dutch holding companies.

  20. 2020Unilever

    Single Parent Company

    Unilever unified its dual structure into a single parent company, Unilever PLC, in November 2020.

  21. 2021General Motors

    Ultium Platform and EV Commitment Announced

    GM announces its commitment to invest more than $35 billion in electric and autonomous vehicles through 2025 and introduces the Ultium battery platform as the technological foundation for dozens of future EV models across all four U.S. Brands.

  22. 2024General Motors

    Cruise Robotaxi Program Ended

    Following the October 2023 Cruise pedestrian incident and a long operational pause, GM announced in December 2024 that it would stop funding Cruise's robotaxi business and fold the unit's technology work into GM.

  23. 2025General Motors

    EV Capacity Cut and $7.6 Billion in EV Charges

    After the U.S. federal EV tax credit expired on September 30, 2025, GM cut EV production capacity and recorded about $7.6 billion of EV-related charges for the year.

  24. 2025Unilever

    Fernando Fernandez becomes CEO

    Fernando Fernandez was appointed CEO effective March 2025.

  25. 2025Unilever

    Ice Cream demerger reflected

    Unilever reported 2025 results on a continuing-operations basis after the Ice Cream business demerger.

  26. 2026General Motors

    Guidance Raised as North America Margins Recover

    GM reported Q2 2026 revenue of $48.0 billion and EBIT-adjusted of $3.9 billion, with North America margins back in its 8-10% target range, and raised full-year 2026 EBIT-adjusted guidance to $14.0-16.0 billion.

Acquisitions

General Motors

  • Cruise Automation2016$1B
  • Buick Motor Company (Original Acquisition)1908Undisclosed
All General Motors acquisitions

Unilever

  • Dr. Squatch2025Undisclosed
  • Wild2025Undisclosed
  • Minimalist2025Undisclosed
  • Paula's Choice2021Undisclosed
  • Sir Kensington's2017Undisclosed
  • Weis2017Undisclosed
All Unilever acquisitions

Questions about General Motors vs Unilever

Who is the CEO of General Motors Company and Unilever PLC?

General Motors Company is led by Mary Barra 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 General Motors Company founded vs Unilever PLC?

General Motors Company was founded in 1908 — 21 years before Unilever PLC, which was founded in 1929. General Motors Company'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 General Motors Company have compared to Unilever PLC?

General Motors Company employs approximately 155,000 people, while Unilever PLC employs approximately 96,092. General Motors Company has the larger workforce at 155,000 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 General Motors Company and Unilever PLC headquartered?

General Motors Company is headquartered in United States 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 General Motors Company and Unilever PLC?

General Motors Company was founded by William C. Durant. Unilever PLC was founded by William Hesketh Lever, Samuel van den Bergh, Anton Jurgens.

Which company has a longer operating history — General Motors Company or Unilever PLC?

General Motors Company has been operating for approximately 118 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 General Motors vs Unilever overview

Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.