Magnum moves to oust Ben & Jerry's independent board chair amid spin-off tensions

The bitter internal conflict between Magnum Ice Cream Company and its progressive subsidiary, Ben & Jerry's, has escalated, with Magnum moving to remove the chair of the Ben & Jerry’s independent board. A securities filing late on Tuesday revealed that internal investigations by external advisers concluded the current chair "no longer meets the criteria to serve."

The board chair in question is identified as Anuradha Mittal, the founder of the Oakland Institute, a think tank. Her leadership of the independent board—tasked with advancing the brand's social mission—has previously been criticized by Unilever for evolving into advocacy for "controversial and polarizing topics," specifically citing the war in Gaza.

The power play comes as Unilever prepares to spin off its entire ice cream division, including both Magnum and Ben & Jerry's, in early December. This highly anticipated spin-off has already been delayed by a month due to the U.S. government shutdown.

Magnum's filing stated it informed the Ben & Jerry's board of its finding and would consider its options based on the board's response. However, the path to removing the chair is unclear. The independent board was established to operate autonomously when Unilever acquired Ben & Jerry's 25 years ago. The 2000 merger agreement dictates that replacing most board members requires a majority vote from the board itself, complicating Magnum's efforts.

Co-Founder Calls It a 'Power Grab' Ben Cohen, co-founder of the Vermont-based ice cream brand, strongly condemned the action. In a defiant statement, Cohen called the move a "deliberate attempt to rewrite history and strip the Ben & Jerry’s Independent Board of the legal authority it was guaranteed."

Cohen warned that Magnum is targeting Mittal to grab power, a move he believes will ultimately destroy the long-term value of the brand. He had previously cautioned that the conflict would likely worsen after the spin-off, as Ben & Jerry's will represent a larger percentage of Magnum’s post-split business.

The rift between Unilever/Magnum and Ben & Jerry's has been public since 2021 when the brand announced it would cease sales in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Ben & Jerry's has since sued Unilever over alleged attempts to silence its progressive voice and controversially labeled the Gaza war a "genocide," an unusual stance for a major U.S. brand.

Magnum, which is planning secondary listings in New York and London, warned in the filing that it could face additional lawsuits from the independent board.