Newell Rubbermaid adds to board

Newell Rubbermaid has announced that Michael B. Polk has been elected to the company's board of directors, bringing the number of directors to 12. Polk is president of Unilever Americas.

Polk joined Unilever in 2005 and has streamlined the company's Americas organization and optimized its mix of food, hygiene and personal care items. Under Polk, Unilever was named Wal-Mart's Supplier of the Year in 2008.

"Michael brings outstanding global marketing, consumer innovation and operations leadership to our board," said William D. Marohn, chairman of Newell Rubbermaid's board of directors. "He has overseen billion-dollar brands, managed portfolios of diverse product categories and navigated complex geographies -- all very relevant to the growth and transformation of Newell Rubbermaid."

Before Unilever, Polk held positions at Altria Group. He began his career at Procter & Gamble in industrial engineering and product development.