Polman will be succeeded by Alan Jope, the current head of the group’s beauty and personal care business. Jope is a Unilever (UL) veteran, having joined its marketing department in 1985.

The bottom line is that Paul Polman is not focused on the bottom line. Polman is CEO of Unilever, the Anglo-Dutch consumer-products multinational. Managing a corporation that operates in 100 ...