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Ben & Jerry's ousts board chair Mittal as it sets new term limits
Anuradha Mittal, who joined the Ben & Jerry's board in 2007, serving as chair since 2018, said this month she had no plans to resign under pressure from the then Ben & Jerry's owner Unilever, calling efforts to remove her an attempt by Unilever to "undermine the authority of the board itself".
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Reuters - Mon, 15, Dec 2025
- 16:05 EST
- 28
Anuradha Mittal/ Ben and Jerry's / LinkedIn/ Ben and Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's has ousted the chair of its independent board as part of new governance practices introduced by the Vermont-based ice cream brand on Monday that include nine year term limits for board members.
Anuradha Mittal, who joined the Ben & Jerry's board in 2007, serving as chair since 2018, said this month she had no plans to resign under pressure from the then Ben & Jerry's owner Unilever, calling efforts to remove her an attempt by Unilever to "undermine the authority of the board itself".
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The Cherry Garcia ice cream maker is now owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company, after a spinoff from Unilever last week that created the world's largest standalone ice cream company, commanding around a fifth of the $87 billion global market.
Ben & Jerry's, whose 2000 merger agreement with Unilever created an independent board and preserved the brand's social mission and charitable work, said in a statement that any director who has served more than nine years on the board would not be eligible for annual re-election in 2026.
"Two directors were notified today that they will no longer be eligible to serve on the board going forward," Ben & Jerry's said. "In total, three directors have been notified of their ineligibility to serve on the Board."
Ben & Jerry's did not name the directors, but a person familiar with the matter confirmed that Mittal has left her role with immediate effect, while long-standing directors Daryn Dodson and Jennifer Henderson would see their terms expire on Dec. 31.
Mittal did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Dodson and Henderson could not be immediately reached.
Ben & Jerry's has been at odds with its parent company since at least 2021 when it said it would stop selling in the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
In preparation for the spinoff, Unilever and Magnum have sought to improve Ben & Jerry's corporate governance and ordered an independent audit of the Ben & Jerry's Foundation, a separate U.S. non-profit that is funded by the brand.
Ben & Jerry's said the foundation's trustees have so far declined to make changes to address deficiencies in financial controls and governance and the foundation's $5 million in annual funding is now in doubt.
The foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Magnum said it fully supported the steps Ben & Jerry's was taking to enhance board governance.
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