Hindustan Lever today announced that it has obtained approval from the government for the change of the company name to "Hindustan Unilever Ltd".According to a release issued by the company to the BSE today, the company's new corporate identity represented by a new logo and the new name Hindustan Unilever comes into effect from today. The shareholders of the company had earlier approved the proposal for change of name at the company's 74 annual general meeting on May 18, 2007.The company believes that the new name provides the optimum balance between maintaining the heritage of the company and the synergies of global alignment with the corporate name of Unilever. Most importantly the name retains "Hindustan" as the first word in its name to reflect the company's continued commitment to local economy, consumers, partners and employees. The new logo is symbolic of the company's mission of 'Adding Vitality to life'. It comprises of 25 different icons representing the organization, its brands and the idea of Vitality, the release added.Doug Baillie, CEO, of the company said, "The identity symbolises the benefits we bring to our consumers and the communities we work in. Our mission is full of promise for the future, opening up exciting opportunities where we have competitive advantage for developing our business and our new identity will help us confidently position ourselves in every aspect of our business.""The new name and the new logo will leverage the positioning, scale and synergy that comes with being part of Unilever globally. It positions our organization on a global scale and through the combination of retaining 'Hindustan' in the name brings the very best of local and global to the forefront. For us this is really an opportunity, collectively as an organization, to renew and strengthen our commitment to continue our endeavour to earn the love and respect of India, by making a real difference to every Indian," Mr. Baillie added.
