Polman sits on the Founders Board of TPG Rise, a $7 billion social-impact fund, alongside Bono and Jeffrey Skoll.

[12] Polman is also an active Venture Capital investor having participated in several high profile fundraises for climate and mission focused companies.

[13] As a result of his work championing causes around climate change, inequality, and sustainability, Polman has become a prominent global figure in the push for more responsible business.

[14] Polman was born and grew up in the Dutch city of Enschede, in a Catholic family with three brothers and two sisters, the son of a tyre company executive father and a former schoolteacher mother.

"[20] Capturing the spirit of his own sense of purpose, he continued, "The world we want will only be achieved when we choose action over indifference, courage over comfort, and solidarity over division."

[5] Polman has argued that, in a volatile world of finite resources, running a business sustainably is vital for its long-term growth[25] and also mitigates risk and reduces costs.

Some shareholders, however, have worried that Polman's focus on sustainability has become more important to him than the financial performance of Unilever after the company missed sales targets for six out of eight quarters in 2013 and 2014.

[10] Systemiq, a certified B-Corporation, is a world leading environmental consultancy firm focused on managing and promoting responsible change as well as performing cutting edge research on climate topics.

[36] At the invitation of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Polman served as one of the 27 members of the UN High Level Panel of Eminent Persons on the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

At the invitation of former Mexican President, Felipe Calderón, Polman served on the International Council of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.

[37]He has co-authored a report published by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) that criticizes the efforts of the SDGs as not ambitious enough.

Polman is also part of the Leadership Vanguard, an initiative that seeks to identify, support and mobilise the next generation of leaders, focuses on redefining value.

In 2016 Polman was selected by former UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon to be an SDG Advocate, tasked with helping build widespread support for the UN's Sustainable Development Goals.