Newell CEO joins Colgate board

Newell Rubbermaid president and CEO Michael Polk has joined the board of directors of Colgate-Palmolive. The move comes a little more than a month after the CPG company’s shareholders elected a slate of 10 directors.

Polk, 53, has served as president and CEO of Newell Rubbermaid since July 2011. Prior to that he was president of Unilever’s global foods, home and personal care unit since 2010. He joined Unilever in 2003 and also served as COO of Unilever Foods and president of Unilever USA and president of Unilever Americas. Prior to joining Unilever Polk spent sixteen years at Kraft Foods Inc. and three years at The Procter & Gamble Company. Polk also served in the past as a board member of The Yankee Candle Company.

More noteworthy than the appointment of another CPG company executive to the Colgate-Palmolive board was the announcement of a 36 cent quarterly dividend payout. The company said it has paid uninterrupted dividends on its common stock since 1895.