Dave Atherton

Sr. Advisor, Manufacturing & Supply Chain

Dave spent 30+ years at Unilever in a variety of global and regional leadership roles in supply chain, engineering, operations and quality. In his last role, as Vice President of Engineering & Technology, Dave oversaw $1 billion in capital investments across Food, Beverage, and Ice Cream categories.

Previous Experience

Unilever
Vice President of Engineering & Technology

Unilever
Quality Director

Unilever Americas
Director of Engineering, Innovation Deployment & Quality

Unilever North America
Director of Engineering & Innovation Deployment

Unilever North America
Director of Engineering & Reliability

Unilever Hammond Factory USA
Manufacturing Manager

Nippon Lever, Japan
Project Manager

Unilever Research UK
Process Engineer

In this role he developed technology strategies that improved asset productivity, reduced costs, and supported sustainable manufacturing initiatives. Dave also served as both Quality Director and Director of Engineering for Unilever Americas, where he designed and deployed global quality systems, strengthened supplier certification programs, and led several innovation launches.

Earlier in his career, Dave introduced TPM reliability techniques across its North America plants, resulting in a 7% increase in OEE and 85% reduction in breakdowns. As Director of Engineering and Innovation Deployment, he led initiatives that reduced manufacturing defects by 50%, cut consumer complaints by 20%, and generated >$20mn in annual savings.

Education & Accreditations

ME Chemical Engineering
University of Nottingham

Statistical Quality Control
University of Tennessee

Leadership in Manufacturing
Purdue University

6-sigma Green Belt

Value Chain Skills

  • Manufacturing Reliability
  • Consumer & Brand Quality
  • Engineering & Technology
  • Capital Investment Planning