Nestlé's CEO leaves, replacement appointed

After over eight years with Nestlé, Mark Schneider has relinquished his roles as CEO and a member of the board of directors.

The board has now appointed Laurent Freixe, currently Executive Vice President and CEO Zone Latin America (LATAM), as Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé S.A., effective 1 September. The board has also nominated Freixe as a candidate for the board of directors at the 2025 Annual General Meeting.

Freixe joined Nestlé in France in 1986 and has been a member of the executive board for 16 years. As such, he has played an important role in strengthening the strategic direction of the company and its portfolio. With his understanding of Nestlé’s culture and values, he has led several global corporate initiatives to improve productivity, increase operational efficiency, simplify processes and drive innovation. Additionally, Freixe is committed to developing future leaders and talents, as evidenced by his active role in the Nestlé Leadership and Training Programs as well as the Nestlé Needs YOUth initiative, which promotes youth employment.

Paul Bulcke, Chairman of the Board of Directors, said: “The board of directors is delighted to announce the appointment of Laurent as the new CEO. I have known Laurent for a long time and highly regard him as a talented leader with strategic acumen, extensive in-market experience and expertise, as well as a deep understanding of markets and consumers. He has demonstrated his ability to deliver results in challenging market conditions.”

Outgoing CEO Schneider will meanwhile be remembered for actively shaping the company’s portfolio in line with its strategy and with a focus on high-growth categories like coffee, pet care and nutritional health products. Bulcke expressed his gratitude to Schneider for his significant contributions to Nestlé and for his outstanding, steady leadership in turbulent times.

“Mark has been instrumental in the great progress we have made on our sustainability agenda. We extend our best wishes to him in all his professional and personal endeavours,” he said.

Schneider said: “Leading Nestlé for the past eight years has been an honour for me. I am grateful for what we have achieved, having transformed Nestlé into a futureproofed, innovative and sustainable business. I would like to thank the entire Nestlé community for what we have accomplished together and wish Laurent all the best in his new role.”

Freixe said: “I am privileged to have been given the opportunity to continue building and strengthening Nestlé, and I am excited to take on this responsibility. There will always be challenges, but we have unparalleled strengths, such as iconic brands and products, an unmatched global presence, leading innovation and execution capabilities and, above all, exceptional people and teams. We can strategically position Nestlé to lead and win everywhere we operate.”

Image caption: Laurent Freixe. Image courtesy Nestlé under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0