JPMorgan Chase vs Unilever: Founders, CEOs and History

Company facts

Founders

CEOs and their tenures

Timeline: JPMorgan Chase and Unilever side by side

1. 1799JPMorgan Chase

   Manhattan Company Chartered

   Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton led the effort to obtain a New York charter for the Manhattan Company.

2. 1871JPMorgan Chase

   Drexel, Morgan & Co. Formed

   J. Pierpont Morgan and Anthony Drexel formed Drexel, Morgan & Co. in New York. The partnership developed into J.P. Morgan & Co., creating the Morgan banking lineage that would remain separate from Chase until the companies combined in 2000.

3. 1884Unilever

   Lever soap factory opens

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

4. 1907JPMorgan Chase

   Panic of 1907

   During the Panic of 1907, J. Pierpont Morgan organized bankers and other private participants to support strained financial institutions. The episode became a defining part of the Morgan firm's history in an era before the Federal Reserve existed.

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. 1955JPMorgan Chase

   Chase Manhattan Created

   The Bank of the Manhattan Company merged with Chase National Bank to form Chase Manhattan Bank. This combination joined the firm's oldest 1799 predecessor with the Chase name and created the institution that later merged with J.P. Morgan.

8. 1984Unilever

   Acquired Brooke Bond

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

9. 1989Unilever

   Acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics

   Unilever acquired Calvin Klein Cosmetics in 1989.

10. 1993Unilever

    Acquired Breyers

    Unilever acquired Breyers in 1993.

11. 2000JPMorgan Chase

    Chase and J.P. Morgan Merge

    Chase Manhattan and J.P. Morgan & Co. completed their merger, combining commercial and consumer banking with investment banking and institutional services. JPMorgan Chase identifies this transaction as the formation of the modern company.

12. 2000Unilever

    Acquired Maille

    Unilever acquired Maille. Unilever acquired Maille in 2000.

13. 2004JPMorgan Chase

    Bank One Merger

    JPMorgan Chase completed its $58.546 billion stock-for-stock merger with Bank One on July 1.

14. 2006JPMorgan Chase

    Jamie Dimon Becomes CEO

    Jamie Dimon succeeded William B. Harrison Jr. as chief executive on January 1. Dimon had joined JPMorgan Chase as president and chief operating officer when the Bank One merger closed and became chairman one year after becoming CEO.

15. 2008JPMorgan Chase

    Bear Stearns Acquired

    JPMorgan Chase completed its acquisition of Bear Stearns during the financial crisis.

16. 2008JPMorgan Chase

    Washington Mutual Operations Acquired

    After Washington Mutual Bank entered FDIC receivership, JPMorgan Chase paid $1.9 billion to acquire its banking operations, including assets, deposits, and qualified financial contracts under the transaction terms.

17. 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.

18. 2020Unilever

    Legal structure unified

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

19. 2020Unilever

    Single Parent Company

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

20. 2023JPMorgan Chase

    First Republic Acquired from FDIC

    JPMorgan Chase acquired the substantial majority of First Republic Bank's assets and assumed deposits and certain liabilities from the FDIC.

21. 2025JPMorgan Chase

    FY2025 Net Revenue of $182.447B

    JPMorgan Chase reported U.S. GAAP total net revenue of $182.447 billion and net income of $57.048 billion. Its managed, fully taxable-equivalent segment presentation reported $185.581 billion of total net revenue across CCB, CIB, AWM, and Corporate.

22. 2025Unilever

    Fernando Fernandez becomes CEO

    Fernando Fernandez was appointed CEO effective March 2025.

23. 2025Unilever

    Ice Cream demerger reflected

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

24. 2026JPMorgan Chase

    Chase to Become Apple Card Issuer

    On January 7, 2026 Apple and Chase announced that Chase will replace Goldman Sachs as Apple Card issuer over about 24 months.

25. 2026JPMorgan Chase

    Co-Presidents Named

    Doug Petno and Troy Rohrbaugh were named co-presidents in June 2026, and Marianne Lake announced her retirement.

Acquisitions

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