Clorox named Unilever executive Fabian Garcia its next chief executive, effective January 5, 2027, and Garcia will join its board as well. The appointment was covered by Reuters and Consumer Goods Technology. Linda Rendle will leave the role and continue as an adviser through April 2, 2027.
Garcia is a member of Unilever’s executive leadership team. Since 2020, he has held a series of senior positions there, including president of its North American business. Before joining Unilever, he was CEO of Revlon and chief operating officer for global innovation and growth at Colgate-Palmolive. He also held global leadership roles at Procter & Gamble. Clorox’s board said it selected him for experience leading large consumer businesses, building enduring brands, responding to changing customer and channel dynamics, and pursuing disciplined growth.
The transition arrives as Clorox moves from implementing new enterprise systems to optimizing them. The company recently completed the final stage of its U.S. enterprise resource planning system. Rendle described the greenfield implementation as behind the business and said Clorox is moving into optimization. CFO Luc Bellet has identified practical opportunities from the system: stronger supply-chain visibility, faster responses to demand, more productivity in manufacturing and logistics, and lower inventory and working capital. Automation in selling and administrative functions is another expected benefit.
Bellet has said the new technology foundation can also support artificial intelligence, planning and trade-spending decisions. Those are management’s stated opportunities, not outcomes already established. Clorox is also streamlining its portfolio and investing in health and hygiene; it recently acquired GOJO Industries, the owner of Purell. The company continues to work through the operational disruption caused by its 2023 cyberattack, a recovery that has formed part of its recent operating backdrop.
The company’s own statements frame Garcia’s starting agenda around converting technology investment into day-to-day execution while continuing the portfolio work already under way. This is a handoff into a business with named operating priorities, not a blank-sheet strategy. For another recent CEO succession, see Info Edge founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani’s return to the group CEO role.
Bellet said the ERP also strengthens Clorox’s cost-savings pipeline and gives teams a shared, real-time data foundation across the business.
