Hunter nets top Unilever otc role

Rimmel’s former marketing director, Ann Hunter, has returned to Unilever, as Unipath head of marketing.

Hunter will join Unilever’s over-the-counter (otc) pharmaceuticals division as European vice-president of business development.

She will be in charge of marketing and new product development (npd).

Hubert Lapont will continue in the position of marketing director. He replaced Steph Senior in that role last August.

Hunter’s remit is to co-ordinate the worldwide launch of a new ground-breaking personal contraceptive diagnostic kit next spring.

The kit, codenamed Persona, is already 18 months behind schedule.

Persona has been on trial in the UK since the start of last year. It involves women urinating on an electronic device to test periods of maximum and minimum fertility. It is an electronic form of the rhythm method of contraception.

Senior oversaw the launch of Unipath’s pregnancy testing kits, Clearblue in 1985 and Clearplan in 1988. Last September she appointed Ogilvy & Mather in a global realignment of the company’s advertising account.

The business was previously held by Leagas Delaney.

Hunter left Rimmel in May, two months after it was taken over by German chemical and household goods giant Benckiser.

She had been with Rimmel for six years and had previously been at Avon Cosmetics. Rimmel’s first television advertising campaign was launched in April.

Hunter was replaced by Margaret Donnelley, the marketing director of Benckiser’s perfume division, Coty.

Hunter was unavailable for comment as Marketing Week went to press.