How We’re Structured

THE BASICS
Name: Jennifer Henderson - aka Wonderful Woman
Current Residence: Henderson, Nevada
Birth Place: Sacramento, California

FAVORITES
Ben & Jerry's Flavor: New York Super Fudge Chunk and Phish Food (tie)
Music: Akon; Mary J. Blige; and Alicia Keys
Book/Movie: Trouble the Waters/Jerry McGuire
Quote: "Believe only half of what you think"
NPO or Social/Environmental Cause: I am committed to working to advance equity and justice for people who have been marginalized socially and economically.  For over four decades, I have worked in partnership and solidarity with residents of urban and rural communities in the US and other parts of the world to organize and advocate for living wages, affordable housing, accessible health care, quality education and food security.  Over the past five years, my organizing and advocacy work has been most focused on the redevelopment of a number of neighborhoods in New Orleans.  Together with others, the resilience of the people of New Orleans has been encouraged and supported by generosity of millions of people from around the world. Much of my work has been to design and unite efforts of physical and economic development to create more livable neighborhoods in a city still in the process of re-envisioning itself. Lastly, since childhood, I have maintained a belief in and passion for the power of peace.  I continue to work with organizations that challenge the use of war and violence to achieve self-serving, unsustainable economic and political goals.

BEN & JERRY'S BIO
A little background...
I met Ben, Jerry and Jeff at the beginning of the One Percent for Peace Campaign.  I had been working for years with Jobs for Peace to achieve a 25% transfer of military dollars to much-needed domestic spending on education, jobs, health and housing.  The two efforts were naturally aligned.  Soon after working as a volunteer on the One Percent for Peace Campaign, I was asked to help think through the organization of the Ben & Jerry's Foundation.  With advice from myself and other activists and organizers from around the country, the Foundation established the employees as the decision-makers for grant making.  After several years of working with the company on a number of projects, I was thrilled to be nominated and voted onto the Ben & Jerry's Board of Directors.
How long have I been on the BOD: Since 1996
Why am I passionate about Ben & Jerry's?:
By being a part of Ben & Jerry's, I have the responsibility and privilege of working for equity and justice within both a business and community context.  It is an amazing experience to work alongside others who, like me, believe that Ben & Jerry's is an expression of how the world can be.  Ben & Jerry's embraces the notion of abundance where it is possible for the actions, decisions, and positions that we each take can compliment and support each other --- linked destiny.  The centerpiece of this world view is love and compassion.  Commitment to these ideals has changed the entire notion of responsible business. I love the way that way the company brings creativity, energy and insight to address business and community issues. The company's "Leading with Progressive Values" is a rallying call for business to operate in a way that is simultaneously ethical, sustainable and profitable. I believe that we as a planet are at a moment where these ideals are essential to our survival and more achievable than ever before.  I am deeply confident that in the decades to come, Ben & Jerry's will continue to challenge, re-invent itself, and contribute to a just and caring world.
What is my role/purpose on the BOD:
Jeff, Pierre and I served on the BOD before the acquisition by Unilever.  We have the informal responsibility for sharing the genesis, background and history of the company with new board members and Unilever. This knowledge has been very important in setting the context for decisions the company makes today.  I also work with the board in the areas of the Social Audit, Board Development, and CEO Compensation.  These committees are responsible for insuring that the terms laid out in the Sales Agreement are maintained.
What unique capabilities do I bring to Ben & Jerry's and the BOD?:
I have more than 40 years of experience in the fields of community economic development, urban and rural public policy advocacy, organizational development and social enterprises. These skills have been called upon as the company has 1) developed ways to partner with nonprofit organizations; 2) considered the community-wide implications of major decisions like closing a plant; 3) reviewed marketing campaigns that relayed a strong position on issues like Fair Trade; and 4) requested support and encouragement to the CEO and senior staff in their visioning and planning.
I have worked with stakeholders, including businesses, to create shared wealth and prosperity both inside businesses and within the larger community.  This includes specific skills in strategic planning; organizational development; leadership development; team building; social, political and economic justice advocacy; and collaboration.
Like my fellow BOD members, I bring to Ben & Jerry's a wide network of relationships and contacts that have proven useful to the company. Currently, the work of my firm on food access, food security and food deserts might provide a lens to examine Ben & Jerry's role in the current debate regarding childhood obesity and other food-related maladies. As the BOD has become more visible to the employees and other company stakeholders, each of the BOD members has become even more intentional in sharing their specific expertise with the company, where appropriate and applicable.

THE BASICS
Name: Matthew McCarthy
Current Residence:  Burlington, Vermont
Birth Place: Massachusetts
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-mccarthy-001

FAVORITES
Ben & Jerry's Flavor: Phish Food
Music: Hard rock
Book/Movie: Wayne’s World 
Places/Country to Visit: Faroe Islands
Quote: Constructive dissatisfaction with our status quo
NPO or Social/Environmental Cause:  Men as Allies in Gender Equity & Greyhound Rescue Rehabilitation

BEN & JERRY'S BIO
A little background...
I’ve spent most of my career working in the food business – and I have always had a love and admiration for Ben & Jerry’s. I feel great excitement and gratitude now to have the opportunity to lead this incredible team and business. And the Ben & Jerry’s Board of Directors is something truly unique – living at the intersection of our business and our enduring Social Mission. I am equally excited that my role includes sitting on Ben & Jerry’s BOD.
How long have I been on the BOD:  Since July, 2018
Why am I passionate about Ben & Jerry's?:
Passionate is such a great way to describe it – Ben & Jerry’s is among the most successful business and organizations anywhere. It completely changed the ice cream world when Ben & Jerry started their first scoop shop in 1978…Talk about ‘disruption,’ these guys were doing it decades before the term came into vogue! At the same time Ben & Jerry put their passion for supporting and speaking for marginalized people into the business. In doing so they redefined what business can be – That business can and should be a force for good in our society. This north star guides the team and I today in everything we do.
What is your role or purpose on the BOD?
My hope and goal are to increase the positive impact Ben & Jerry’s has in all the markets and communities we serve around the world. I feel fortunate to work with a tremendously talented and experienced team of Board members who reflect a deep and diverse set of perspectives. Their input and guidance play a key role for the Ben & Jerry’s company. I collaborate closely with the BOD members to bring our vision of Linked Prosperity to life in new and powerful ways.
What unique capabilities do you bring to Ben &Jerry’s and BOD?
Well I’m not sure I would go so far as say ‘unique,’ but I am excited to bring my 30 years of business and team leadership experience to Ben & Jerry’s. I started my career working with my dad in a small family business in Massachusetts and I have kept those early lessons close throughout my career. Lessons about how to treat others with respect; that building trust among the most important activities for any team; that your team members are the most valuable resource in any business or organization; and that leadership is all about having positive impact through teamwork. I like to dream big, scare myself a bit with setting big goals, and then working together with my team mates to make the seemingly impossible possible.

THE BASICS
Name: Anuradha Mittal - aka Green Goddess
Current Residence: U.S.
Birth Place: Meerut, India

FAVORITES
Ben & Jerry's Flavor:
Music: Jazz, Blues, Indian Bhangra
Book/Movie: Love to read—so hard to decide…
Places/Country to Visit: Galapagos Islands
Quote: "Until the lions tell their own story, tales of hunting will always glorify the hunter."
NPO or Social/Environmental Cause: Land Rights

BEN & JERRY'S BIO
A little background...
I was contacted by Jeff Furman who expressed an interest to have me join the board. Following that, I got to speak to other independent directors and was intrigued enough t take up the offer to join this incredible board
How long have I been on the BOD: Since February 1, 2008
Why am I passionate about Ben & Jerry's?:
This is real, practical work... an opportunity to give voice to what are called ideological fantasies, to see a vision for social change come to fruition, and to know how corporations can be made to behave in the world.
What is my role/purpose on the BOD:
To ensure that Ben & Jerry's maintains and grows its social mission... to be really the "coolest" company that "determines" how to be in this world and set standards for other companies!
What unique capabilities do I bring to Ben & Jerry's and the BOD?:
Expertise in the following areas: Land Rights/ Food Safety & Social/Environmental/Economic Justice issues

RESUME
Anuradha Mittal, founder and executive director of  the Oakland Institute (www.oaklandinstitute.org) has worked on trade, development, human rights, and agriculture issues for nearly three decades.

Mittal is the author and editor of numerous articles and books including Palestine: For Land & Life; The Long Shadow of War: Struggle for Justice in Post War Sri Lanka; (Mis) Investment in Agriculture;  The Great Land Grab: Rush for World's Farmland Threatens Food Security for the Poor, among others. Her articles and opinion pieces have been published in widely circulated newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Bangkok Post, and the Nation. Anuradha has given several hundred keynote addresses including invitational events from governments and universities, and has been interviewed on CNN, BBC World, CBC, ABC, Al-Jazeera, National Public Radio and Voice of America.

Anuradha is the winner of several awards, including named as the Most Valuable Progressive Thinker by the Nation magazine, and recognized by the  Responsible Endowments Coalition, among others. Anuradha lives in Oakland with her husband and daughter.

THE BASICS
Name: Jostein Solheim aka Scooper Man
Current Residence:  Shelburne, Vermont
Birth Place: Bergen, Norway
Twitter: @benandjerrys

FAVORITES
Ben & Jerry's Flavour: Chunky Monkey as a classic favorite, and Fair Trade Milk & Cookies has been growing on me (and my wife Rebecca!).
Music: Very broad taste, currently listening a lot to Chris Botti.
Book/Movie: My true love is newspapers as I like to follow a broad set of topics and know what is going on in the world! Ideally I would read 3 to 4 different papers from different countries every day. These days 90% of books that I read are about values led businesses, fair trade, the environment and development!  The last movie that made an big impression on me was Food Inc! 
Places/Country to Visit: Any place in a sailboat, and anywhere that I can experience the beauty of nature. Although I confess an unabashed feeling that Norway is the most beautiful place on earth!
Quote: My mantra that I've repeated a hundred times since starting at Ben & Jerry's is: "Change is a wonderful thing."
NPO or Social/Environmental Cause:  I'm passionate about gender equality and access to education for all.  I firmly believe that if women had equal access to positions of power, and if all kids had a quality education, the world would be a better place!  We also need a planet for future generations so anything we can do to preserve it is important, including reducing carbon emissions, and preserving natural resources, specifically land and water.

BEN & JERRY'S BIO
A little background...
Good karma brought me to Ben & Jerry's specifically because I am an ice cream guy!  I have worked with ice cream for 15 years across Europe, Eastern Europe and North America. I happened to be in the right place, at the right time. My passion for values led businesses combined with the right skills to lead Ben & Jerry's made me a solid candidate to take on this the challenge.
How long have I been on the BOD:  I officially started as CEO on April 1st, 2010.  No April Fool's jokes, please!
Why am I passionate about Ben & Jerry's?:
The world needs dramatic change to address the social and environmental challenges we are facing.  Values led businesses can play a critical role in driving that positive change.  We need to lead by example, and prove to the world that this is the best way to run a business. Historically, this company has been and must continue to be a pioneer to continually challenge how business can be a force for good and address inequities inherent in global business.

THE BASICS
Name: Helen Jones - aka Shock Wave
Current Residence: U.S.
Birth Place: Formby, near Liverpool

FAVORITES
Ben & Jerry's Flavor: Phish Food and I love the Wich.
Music: My favourite band is Amber Run. My youngest son was a member and their lead guitarist but is now pursuing a career in management.
Book/Movie: A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry/The Lives of Others
Places/Country to Visit: Asia - India in particular
Quote: "Leaders grasp nettles."
NPO or Social/Environmental Cause: Promoting the importance of socially responsible business practice at Board level. I am the Chairman of the CSR Committee at Halfords Group plc.

BEN & JERRY'S BIO
A little background...
I worked for Ben & Jerry's for almost 15 years. I was the first employee outside the US, hired to introduce B&J's to the Brits back in 1994. It was a fantastic experience and with my small and unbelievably talented team we built a great business in the UK before moving  on to conquer Europe. Some of these guys are still involved but I left to pursue an exciting new career in the restaurant sector. Fortunately though, I must have done something right because I was invited back to join the BOD which is a great honour.
How long have I been on the BOD: Since January 29, 2011
Why am I passionate about Ben & Jerry's?:
Because I have loved this company since the day I first walked into the office in Waterbury. Ben and Jerry inspired me then and nothing has changed. I consider myself unbelievably lucky to have had the opportunity to work with them and to spread the word across Europe. It helps of course that the ice cream is incredible too, but Ben & Jerry's really is a very special place.
What is my role/purpose on the BOD:
To bring European perspective to the group and experience of working within the Global Unilever framework.
What unique capabilities do I bring to Ben & Jerry's and the BOD?:
Being part of a global corporation has its challenges and my role was always to protect the integrity of the Ben & Jerry's brand as we grew. This is the experience I hope to bring to the BOD and the understanding of both Ben & Jerry's culture and Unilever's ways of working.

RESUME
In addition to my role at Ben & Jerry's, I'm a Non-Executive Director on three Company Boards in Europe.
Initially hired as the first employee for Ben & Jerry's outside the US, to build their UK business, she started by converting her spare bedroom at home into B&J's HQ. With the help of a second hand desk, a hired printer and small mobile freezer, she was set up as a one woman ice cream operation. As the UK business prospered she recruited more staff until they eventually outgrew their home-bases and moved into an office in Egham.

In 2000, Ben & Jerry's was acquired by Unilever so Helen managed this difficult transition, whilst retaining her team and the right to continue to run the UK business as an independent operation. She then went on to lead Ben & Jerry's European expansion strategy and the subsequent roll out as Regional Brand Development Director.

Helen was instrumental in securing Unilever's commitment to the sustainable dairy programme and the move to 100% Fairtrade certified ingredients across Europe. By 2009, Ben & Jerry's had launched in 15 European countries generating retail sales in excess of €250m. Not bad from a standing start and both personally and professionally, a proud achievement.

Helen left Ben & Jerry's / Unilever in July 2009 to join Zizzi, an Italian casual dining brand with 100 restaurants across the UK as their Managing Director.

In September 2012, she joined Caffe Nero as a Board Director to assist with, amongst other things, the International expansion programme.

THE BASICS
Name: Daryn Dodson (@impactpreneur) - aka Red Talon
Current Residence: USA
Birth Place: Washington, DC

FAVORITES
Ben & Jerry's Flavor: AmeriCone Dream
Music: “Get up. Stand up.” Bob Marley
Book/Movie: “Made to Stick.” Chip and Dan Heath
Places/Country to Visit: Burma and Senegal
Quote: "Language does not just describe reality. Language creates the reality it describes.!" -Desmond Tutu
NPO or Social/Environmental Cause: Business Justice. Yes, I made that up! The idea is that as business leaders leverage their hearts, minds and resources to achieve justice, peace, and freedom, the world would become more just and better for future generations. I serve on two boards dedicated to this pursuit: 1) Stanford Business Alumni Board of Directors; empowering alumni to change lives, change organizations, and change the world 2) The Idea Village; rebuilding New Orleans through Entrepreneurship.

BEN & JERRY'S BIO
A little background...
I learned about the Ben and Jerry’s Board with working with two other board members, Terry Mollner and Jennifer Henderson in the socially responsible investing movement and the New Orleans rebuilding movements respectively. Jennifer and Terry introduced me to the other directors who collectively invited me to join. I could not resist this opportunity to apply my experiences and creativity to grow this business’s positive impact on society worldwide.
How long have I been on the BOD: Since 2012
Why am I passionate about Ben & Jerry's?:
I have become passionate about Ben and Jerry’s as I meet the customers, factory workers and farmers who power the company. They trust us with the important stuff: their kids and their kid’s stomachs. When they buy and make our ice cream, they are casting votes for the future: votes that proactively support the communities and world their kids will one day inherit.
What is my role/purpose on the BOD:
My role is to make sure the flavor graveyard is filled with ideas of all different types. The flavor graveyard celebrates failure as a bi-product of innovation; the flavors that did not sell well basically go to rest there with their own tombstone! As we push for both unprecedented financial growth, and push the bounds of creating significant and measurable positive impact across our entire supply chain and stakeholder base, we expect to make mistakes and that’s ok. You do not become most positive impact driven, the most profitable, highest quality company in the world by not daring to reach the next horizon and falling short at times. My role is to make sure we don’t get tired of the taste of failure, and that we always communicate our story to other companies; ultimately offering a rigorously battle tested model of business success that also includes, and centers on, the planet and future generations.
What unique capabilities do I bring to Ben & Jerry's and the BOD?:
Impact Investing. My recent experience as a consultant to the Board of Directors at Calvert Funds includes identifying and vetting impact entrepreneurs and private equity funds for investment globally. In other words, I advise on investments into teams that aspire to build the next generation of Ben and Jerry’s-like companies.

THE BASICS
Name: Annie Leonard - aka Sky Wing
Current Residence: Berkeley, California
Birth Place: Seattle, Washington

FAVORITES
Ben & Jerry's Flavor: Half Baked FroYo
Music: After all these years, I’m still a Dead Head above all else.
Book/Movie: too many to list…I love reading!
Places/Country to Visit: Kerala, India would be fab. Although I’ve traveled enough that sometimes the place I want to know most is my own neighborhood.
Quote: “Everyone is better off when everyone is better off.” – Eric Liu
NPO or Social/Environmental Cause: I’m passionate about changing the ways we make, use and throw away stuff to be more sustainable, more healthy, more fair and more fun. There are so many ways we could do it better!

BEN & JERRY'S BIO
A little background...
I’ve known Jeff and Anuradha for years through mutual friends and allies but only knew the basics about B&Js until I was asked to write the forward for a recent book on the company’s journey. In reading the stories behind the successes and struggles, I was inspired by the unwavering focus on social mission and the innovative relationship with Unilever. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. I was thrilled when Jeff asked me to consider putting my name forth to join the board. 
How long have I been on the BOD: Since the end of 2013.
Why am I passionate about Ben & Jerry's?:
Ben & Jerry’s is showing the world another way to do business. It’s not inevitable for businesses to trash people and the planet, even though doing seems the default in today’s business-as-usual. Ben & Jerry’s supports socially progressive causes, pays living wages, respects its workers and suppliers – including the cows!  -, makes a darn good product,  has committed to GMO-free and Fair Trade goods throughout its supply chain and is always striving to do more. The Ben & Jerry’s team is the first to admit that it’s not always easy figuring out how to chart this new path, there are stumbles along the way and  much more to be done, but by trying and learning together, they are redefining what true business success means.
What is my role/purpose on the BOD:
The role I am most excited about is making sure that B&J never waivers from its social mission, and in fact keeps iterating new targets and bolder goals. I want to celebrate what Ben & Jerry’s has already accomplished, and keep setting our sights higher. I also want to ensure B&J builds and nurtures relationships with diverse allies – within and beyond the business world -  since building a new kind of economy is going to take a big broad movement with all types of people engaging in all types of ways.
What unique capabilities do I bring to Ben & Jerry's and the BOD?:
I am excited to leverage my 25 years as an environmental activist to help ensure that we’re operating as sustainably as possible and to rope in activist friends to collaborate around shared goals – like Right to Know labels about what’s in our food. I’m a materials nerd, and I love to evaluate the relative benefits of different choices in materials and design to find the best options - including for end of life management (what happens to all those ice cream cartons now???) And I’m a storyteller: I’m constantly thinking about how to communicate complex issues in a way that invites people to join the conversation and get active. Ben & Jerry’s has some good stories to tell about what it has learned along the way – and is still learning! These stories could inspire and inform others, and could be part of a new narrative about what it means to be a successful business in the 21^st century.