Unilever’s revelation of the sudden departure of Hein Schumacher – before he could celebrate a second summer as CEO – seemed shrouded in mystery. But the devil might just be in the detail – in the case of Unilever,

Schumacher defended his approach and record as CEO and said he regretted leaving Unilever earlier than anticipated.

The surprise exit of Hein Schumacher comes less than two years after he took on the top role at the consumer-goods giant.