Consumer group Unilever surprised investors on Tuesday by replacing chief executive Hein Schumacher with finance chief Fernando Fernandez, who will take on the tough task of reviving the consumer group's performance.

Unilever has announced Hein Schumacher will step down as CEO within days, just 18 months after he joined the consumer goods giant from FrieslandCampina. In a statement to the London Stock Exchange today (25 February),

Unilever’s revelation of the sudden departure of Hein Schumacher – before he could celebrate a second summer as CEO – seemed shrouded in mystery. But the devil might just be in the detail – in the case of Unilever,