Top Unilever jobs are at risk of influential investor revolts at next year’s annual general meeting. This is due to their handling of plans to scrap the company’s UK headquarters. The company’s chairman and other board members are among the few who investors may target.

A variety of influential institutional shareholders are planning to oppose the re-election of chairman Marjin Dekkers. In addition, investors plan on opposing the company’s senior independent director, Professor Youngme Moon.

One of Unilever’s top investors also added that it was highly likely they would vote against Graeme Pitkethly. This is as a result of the chief financial officer’s ‘aggressive’ attempted justification of the move.

Unilever is an Anglo-Dutch consumer giant most well-known for its manufacturing of Marmite and Dove soap.

The company has a dual-HQ in London and the Dutch city Rotterdam. In March, it announced the move of its HQ to Rotterdam. The company insisted it was not as a result of Brexit.

The move has stirred up controversy among UK shareholders. This is due to the fact that the move would eject the company from the FTSE 100 index.

We reported Unilever’s shareholder backlash earlier this month. However, today it has become apparent that investors will target specific high profile jobs among the company’s management team.

One of the company’s biggest shareholders, Legal & General Investment Management, has publically advocated its opposition to the move.

LGIM is the company’s sixth-largest shareholder and holds a stake of roughly 2.2%. LGIM has decided to publicise this decision as a result of the “significant client enquiries about our position”.

The director of corporate governance at LGIM, Sacha Sadan, commented:

“As a supportive shareholder in Unilever PLC for more than 25 years, we have engaged with the company on a number of issues including its decision to unify its corporate structure.”

“We asked the company to ensure that any approach they take safeguards the ability of our clients to maintain their investment and benefit from Unilever’s continued success.”

According to Mr Sadan, the company had not “made a compelling case for many PLC shareholders to support the recommendation in favour of Dutch incorporation”.

Additionally, a Unilever spokesman has said:

“We have held around 200 meetings with shareholders over the last six months and believe the overall benefits of simplification have been widely understood.”

“We are aware that a certain group of shareholders have expressed concern about our proposals.”

Furthermore, the company “will continue to engage with shareholders to discuss our plans”.

At 11:35 GMT -4 today, shares in Unilever (NYSE:UN) were trading at -0.27%.