Ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s has announced it is implementing a number of governance measures to ‘preserve and enhance [its] historical social mission and safeguard its essential integrity’.
The brand, which is now owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company following its spin off from Unilever, said that the measures were key to strengthening its corporate governance, and ensuring that it remains a ‘vital voice for social change‘.
Last week, company co-founder Ben Cohen told the BBC that he feared that Ben & Jerry’s would be ‘destroyed’ as a brand if it remained part of the Magnum family of brands, while in October, Cohen noted that it was prevented from launching an ice cream that expressed solidarity with Palestine.
Corporate governance
Central to the corporate governance changes include a nine-year term limit for board members, which it said was in line with The Magnum Ice Cream Company’s governance model and best practices.
The changes also include engagement protocols designed to ensure respectful conduct and maintain a clear focus on advancing Ben & Jerry’s three-part mission: product, economic and social.
‘Drive progressive change’
“The Ben & Jerry’s merger agreement and the role of the board is unique in the business world, and it’s crucial to the long-term future of the Ben & Jerry’s three-part mission,” said Jochanan Senf, chief executive, Ben & Jerry’s.
“That’s why we are strengthening governance, increasing transparency, and committing ourselves to greater accountability. These improvements matter because they will support us in our journey to become even more impactful and to drive progressive change for years to come.”
As a result of the nine-year term limit, any director that has served more than nine years on the Ben & Jerry’s board is not eligible for annual re-election to the board in 2026. The company said that in total three directors have been notified of their ineligibility to serve on the board.
Senf added that the company’s announcement is a “recommitment to what has always made Ben & Jerry’s special as we take important steps to strengthen the governance around the board and reset our focus for the future”. Read more here.
