ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Unilever has appointed Eugenio Minvielle as executive vice president of its North American business.

Minvielle, 45, who joins the company from Nestle, will be responsible for Unilever’s $10 billion operations in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean.

Unilever said Thursday that Minvielle will report to Dave Lewis, who has been named to replace Michael Polk as president of Unilever Americas. Polk succeeds the retiring Vindi Banga as president of global foods, home and personal care.

According to Unilever, Minvielle is a seasoned executive with more than 20 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. At Nestle, he helped deliver profitable growth as president and chief executive officer of Nestle France, Mexico and Venezuela.

Before those senior leadership roles, Minvielle held a variety of management positions and worked for Procter & Gamble in Spain and Canon in Japan, Unilever reported.

"Unilever is enormously fortunate to have attracted an executive of Eugenio’s experience, talent and proven business performance," Unilever CEO Paul Polman said in a statement. "Under his leadership of Unilever in North America, we look forward to his contribution in driving the North American business forward as we bring our global growth targets and strategies to life. His impeccable credentials and significant experience in the CPG industry complement the strength of the Americas leadership team."