Morris Tabaksblat (19 September 1937, inRotterdam – 20 October 2011, inWassenaar), was a Dutchcaptain of industry. He was theCEO ofUnilever and chairman of the Tabaksblatcommittee whichdrafted the Tabaksblat code.

Morris Tabaksblat
Born	(1937-09-19)September 19, 1937 Rotterdam
Died	October 20, 2011(2011-10-20) (aged 74) Wassenaar
Alma mater	Leiden University
Known for	Chairman of the Board of Directors at Unilever

Tabaksblat was educated at theSorghvliet Gymnasium inThe Hague, before studyinglaw atLeiden University.

Tabaksblat joined Unilever in 1964. During the first twenty years of his career at Unilever he had positions inmarketing and sales in theNetherlands,Spain andBrazil. In 1984, he joined the boards of Unilever NV and Unilever PLC. He was responsible for marketing and the product group 'personal products'. Later he worked inNew York City as regional director for North America. In 1994, he became chairman of theboard of directors.

In 1999 Tabaksbat left Unilever and became chairman ofReed Elsevier, a position he held until 2005.

Tabaksbat was also chairman of theWar Trauma Foundation inAmstelveen and chairman of the councils of the university of Leiden and the Leiden University Medical Centre.

From 1999 until 2001, he was chairman of theEuropean Round Table of Industrialists.^[1] In 2003 Morris Tabaksblat became chairman of the 'Tabaksblat committee' which drafted acorporate governance code, acode of conduct forremuneration ofmanagers in the Netherlands.

Tabaksblat received a knighthood of theOrder of the Netherlands Lion in 1995. In 1999 he was appointed honoraryKnight Commander of theMost Excellent Order of the British Empire and in the same year he was also appointed Grand Officer in theOrder of Oranje-Nassau.

• 1937 births
• 2011 deaths
• Businesspeople from Rotterdam
• Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire
• Leiden University alumni
• Unilever people

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