‎Laurent Freixe, the former CEO of Nestlé, has been hurriedly dismissed by the company over a romantic relationship with a subordinate in office. The Swiss food giant said in a recent statement that Freixe failed to disclose his relationship with a subordinate.
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‎However, Nestle has appointed Philipp Navratil, a veteran insider who had headed the Nespresso coffee unit, as Freixe’s successor with immediate effect.
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‎Navratil began his career with Nestlé in 2001 as an internal auditor. After holding various commercial roles in Central America, he was appointed country manager for Nestlé Honduras in 2009. He assumed leadership of the coffee and beverage business in Mexico in 2013 and transitioned to Nestlé’s Coffee strategic business unit in 2020. He moved to Nespresso in July 2024 and joined the Nestlé executive board on January 1 this year.
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‎According to the Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) behemoth, Freixe’s departure follows an investigation overseen by Pablo Isla, Bulcke and Lead Independent Director, into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate, which breached the company’s code of business conduct.

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‎”This was a necessary decision,” said Bulcke in a statement. “Nestlé’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service.”We are not changing course on strategy, and we will not lose pace on performance.
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‎”Company veteran Freixe took over the CEO role exactly one year ago after Nestle ousted his predecessor Mark Schneider.
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‎The sudden exit is the latest management reshuffle at a global consumer goods and food company this year, including Nestle rival Unilever, Diageo, and Hershey Kohl’s fired CEO Ashley Buchanan in May after an investigation found he had pushed for deals with a vendor with whom he had a personal relationship, after little more than 100 days in the position.
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‎Also, recall that Nestlé announced in June that Paul Bulcke, its long-standing Chairman, would stand down next year. The recent sudden departure of its CEO may mean more volatility for the company amid a tough consumer environment and the global threat of trade tariffs.