Ben & Jerry’s announced Wednesday that it has appointed three new independent directors to its board, a move aimed at reshaping its governing structure following a prolonged dispute with parent company Unilever and its ice cream spinoff, Magnum.
The Vermont-based ice cream maker named Nora Benavidez, Michael McAfee, and Eva Schulte to the board, effective this month. Together, the appointees bring decades of experience across environmental and social justice, civil rights, economic equity, and free speech advocacy. Ben & Jerry’s said the new directors would draw on that background to “challenge and inspire the company” as it works to balance its three-part mission of product quality, financial growth, and social impact.
The appointments come against the backdrop of a governance structure Ben & Jerry’s has maintained since its early days, designed specifically to protect its social mission as the company has changed hands over the decades. Founded in 1978 as a scoop shop in Burlington, Vermont, the brand ran independently until Unilever acquired it in 2000. Last year, Unilever spun off its ice cream division into a standalone company, The Magnum Ice Cream Company, which now owns Ben & Jerry’s along with Klondike, Talenti, and Magnum itself.
That corporate reshuffling has coincided with rising tension between Ben & Jerry’s and its parent companies over political speech. The brand has previously said Unilever tried to suppress its criticism of President Donald Trump and attempted to block statements calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. The two sides also sparred last year over the circumstances surrounding the departure of Ben & Jerry’s CEO, with the brand alleging he was pushed out over his support for its activism.
In an August 26 release, Ben & Jerry’s said the new board additions are intended to “strengthen its governance model for the future” and “safeguard the social mission and integrity of the brand,” while bringing in outside expertise and closer ties to the communities the company says it serves.
Benavidez is a civil and human rights attorney who currently serves as senior counsel and director at Free Press, a nonpartisan nonprofit focused on media and technology policy, where she leads democracy and tech initiatives. She also sits on the board of the Georgia First Amendment Foundation as legislative co-chair, and her past roles include a stint as a trust and safety consultant at TikTok and staff attorney work at the ACLU of Georgia.
McAfee currently leads PolicyLink, a national research and action institute focused on economic and social equity, where he has expanded the organization’s work on corporate racial equity, including tools that help companies assess equity across their supply chains. He previously spent nearly 12 years at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Schulte, the third appointee, is an environmental and economic policy expert serving as executive director of Friends of the San Juans, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting the San Juan Islands and the Salish Sea. She also serves as treasurer on the board of the Sierra Club Foundation, having previously chaired the board until last month.
The trio joins existing board members Michiel Kruyt and Ben & Jerry’s CEO Jochanan Senf on the company’s independent board.
“We’re proving a way of doing business where our growth and strength connect directly to social impact, all whilst making delicious ice cream,” Senf said in the release. “These Directors understand that and will help us make it even more future-proof.”