The dispute surrounding Ben & Jerry's governance and independence has intensified after three members of the ice cream maker's independent board were made ineligible to continue under newly introduced governance rules.
The company has adopted a revised set of practices that include a nine-year term limit for board members. The change affects board chair Anuradha Mittal, along with Daryn Dodson and Jennifer Henderson. According to people familiar with the matter, Mittal will step down immediately, while Dodson and Henderson are expected to leave by the end of the year.
The decision has drawn sharp criticism from co-founder Ben Cohen, who described the move as an attempt to undermine the board's independence and legal authority. He said the affected members had played a central role in protecting Ben & Jerry's social mission and guiding the company through difficult decisions over many years.
Ben & Jerry's said the governance changes are intended to protect the brand's long-standing social values and preserve its integrity. The company is now owned by The Magnum Ice Cream Company, following its recent spin-off from Unilever that created the world's largest standalone ice cream business.
Magnum said it aims to strengthen Ben & Jerry's values-driven, non-partisan positioning. Cohen, however, warned that the brand's identity would be severely damaged if it remained under Magnum's control.
Ben & Jerry's was sold to Unilever in 2000 under an agreement that allowed the company to retain an independent board and control over its social mission. Since then, tensions between the brand and its parent have repeatedly surfaced, most notably in 2021 when Ben & Jerry's stopped selling its products in Israeli-occupied territories, prompting Unilever to sell the local business to a licensee.
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