Christopher Jemmett

Mr Jemmett is a member of Origo’s Audit and Risk Committee, and Remuneration Committee. For many years an executive and board director of Unilever Group, Mr. Jemmett brings extensive emerging market experience to the company. Mr. Jemmett was previously Deputy Chairman and Senior Independent Director of Foreign & Colonial Asset Management (F&C), a leading investment company quoted on the London Stock Exchange. Mr Jemmett was appointed as an independent, Non-Executive Director of Friends Provident plc in June 2001 having been an independent, Non-Executive Director of Friends’ Provident Life Office from 1997 until 2001. He was formerly a Director and member of the Executive Committee of Unilever plc and Unilever NV, a member of the Council of The Crown Agents Foundation and a member of The Council of Royal Warrant Holders Associations. Christopher Jemmett spent most of his career with Unilever PLC, rising to an executive member of the Board of Unilever PLC and Unilever N.V. from 1988 until his retirement in 1997. Holding early appointments in central purchasing and audit departments of Unilever, Mr. Jemmett was appointed the Managing Director of Hohnen Lever Tokyo and President of Unilever Japan KK in 1973. Mr. Jemmett later took the position as Chairman of United Africa Company, as well as taking responsibility for Unilever’s Africa and Middle East Regional Management Group. In 1992, he was appointed regional director of Unilever for Latin America and Central Asia, Chairman of Unilever’s Overseas Committee and Director of the Agribusiness Coordination/Plantation Group. While with F&C, Mr. Jemmett was deeply involved in several key acquisitions and developments including ISIS Asset Management PLC in October 2004. With Friends Provident, Mr. Jemmett was involved in the acquisitions of Lombard International of Luxembourg, as well as earlier acquisitions of London and Manchester, R&SA Investments and R&SA International. While with Unilever, Mr. Jemmett led extensive M&A activity successfully completing takeovers and mergers with very large consumer goods companies in India, China, Middle East and Africa. During his career, Mr. Jemmett has been a member of Councils of Royal Warrant Holders and of the Crowns Agents Foundation. A frequent traveler to China and India, Mr. Jemmett is a passionate collector of Eighteenth Century English furniture, Ching Imperial Monochromes as well as Japanese and Indian antiques.