Billionaire activist investor Nelson Peltz has joined the board of Unilever as pressure grows on chief executive Alan Jope to carve up the business. Unilever, which makes Ben & Jerry's ice cream and Marmite, said Mr Peltz would be joining as a non-executive director in July. Mr Peltz, whose daughter, Nicola, is married to Brooklyn Beckham, is chief executive of the New York hedge fund Trian Fund Management. Shares jumped more than 7pc following the announcement, as investor hopes were buoyed that Mr Peltz would demand a major overhaul of the company.