Shareholders have elected three new directors to the boards of Unilever at the annual general meetings in London and Rotterdam.

Mr. Keki Dadiseth, formerly chairman of Hindustan Lever Ltd. - the group's Indian subsidiary - has become a director and a member of Unilever's Executive Committee. His first assignment is to undertake a review of Unilever's top organization.

Mr. Andre van Heemstra joins the Boards as personnel director and a member of the Executive Committee in succession to Mr. Jan Peelen who retired at the meetings.

Mr. Charles Strauss becomes a director and assumes chairmanship of the North America Committee, which coordinates Unilever's North America businesses, in succession to Mr. Robert Phillips who has retired.

All resolutions put before the shareholders at the annual meetings were adopted.

Footnote: The full text of the chairmen's AGM speeches can be accessed via www.unilever.com

UNILEVER BACKGROUND

Unilever is one of the world's largest consumer products companies with sales close to $45 billion. It produces and markets a wide range of foods, home and personal care products. Unilever operates in 88 countries around the globe and employs 255,000 people.

In the United States, Unilever sales exceeded $8 billion in 1999. It employs 21,000 people and has 65 offices and manufacturing sites in 23 states. Two of Unilever's 12 global Business Groups are headquartered in the United States. Some of their major products are: Foods - North America: Lipton teas, soups, recipe products and side dishes; Wish-Bone salad dressings; Lawry's seasonings and specialty sauces; Imperial, Promise, Country Crock, "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!", Brummel & Brown spreads and sprays; Ragu pasta and pizza sauces; Five Brothers premium pasta sauces; Klondike, Good-Humor, Popsicle and Breyers ice cream products, and Gorton's frozen seafood products;