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| Meta Title | Nestlé picks insider to replace CEO fired over affair - Los Angeles Times | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Meta Description | NestlĂ© is turning to the executive who runs its Nespresso coffee empire to try and steady the worldâs largest food business after it was rocked by the second CEO firing in a little over a year. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Boilerpipe Text | NestlĂ© is turning to the executive who runs its Nespresso coffee empire to try and steady the worldâs largest food business after it was rocked by the second CEO firing in a little over a year.
Philipp Navratil is taking over as chief executive at the Swiss company, after the exit of Mark Schneider for underperformance last year and Laurent Freixe on Monday for failing to disclose an affair with a direct subordinate. The female employee no longer works at Nestle, according to a person familiar with the situation who asked not to be named, discussing confidential matters.
Itâs unprecedented turmoil for a company that has been renowned for its internal succession planning and staid corporate culture.
Freixeâs ouster âhas left us shocked,â RBC analysts, including James Edwardes Jones, said in a note. âWe thought of him as a NestlĂ© lifer who would restore the companyâs reputation of slightly boring predictability. How wrong we were.â
The quick reshuffle raises the question of why NestlĂ© immediately appointed a permanent internal CEO, âinstead of taking time to conduct a full assessment of internal and external candidates,â Jefferies analysts said.
Now investorsâ eyes are on Navratil, a company veteran of more than 20 years who at the age of 49 could conceivably run the maker of KitKat chocolate bars for a decade or more. He joined NestlĂ© in 2001 and has spent much of his career in Central America, including Mexico, with a focus on the coffee business.
He later ran the groupâs global coffee unit, overseeing the NescafĂ© brand and the license agreement with Starbucks Corp. that analysts see as one of NestlĂ©âs most promising businesses. He became CEO of Nespresso, the maker of coffee machines and single-use capsules, in July 2024.
Navratilâs appointment, along with NestlĂ©âs change of chairman next year, is âthe real generational step that should probably have happened 12 months earlier,â Baader analyst Andreas von Arx said in a note.
Even so, the Swiss and Austrian national faces skepticism about whether he can reboot a company whose shares have slumped over 40% since their early 2022 peak. The slide, which began under Schneider, had been Freixeâs job to reverse.
But the ex-CEOâs efforts came to an abrupt end after an investigation found Freixe had violated NestlĂ©âs code of conduct, according to a release late Monday. He will not receive an exit package, a spokesperson said.
The matter was first brought to company officialsâ attention through an internal system called âspeak up,â according to a person familiar with the situation who asked not to named. After the allegations couldnât be substantiated via an initial probe, further concerns were raised via the internal system and an investigation with external counsel was launched, the person said.
Commenting on his new role, Navratil said he will âfully embrace the companyâs strategic directionâ â a clear signal heâll continue Freixeâs strategy of boosting spending on advertising, betting on fewer but bigger product initiatives and getting rid of underperforming units.
He inherits ongoing restructuring, including the potential sale of struggling vitamin brands, and finding a potential partner for NestlĂ©âs bottled water business, which Freixe separated into a standalone unit.
âWe are disappointed that the CEO is boxed in for now to follow his predecessorâs strategy at a time where the market is doubting the outcome,â JPMorgan analyst Celine Pannuti said in a note.
Some of NestlĂ©âs challenges are beyond its direct control. While Freixe often noted about 90% of its U.S.-sold products are made domestically and are therefore outside the scope of President Trumpâs tariffs, a key exception is Nespressoâs Swiss-made coffee capsules. They now face a 39% levy.
Itâs a business Navratil knows well, at least.
Wind writes for Bloomberg.
More to Read | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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# Nestlé picks insider to replace CEO fired over affair

Philipp Navratil is taking over as chief executive at Nestlé, after the exit of Mark Schneider for underperformance last year and Laurent Freixe on Monday for failing to disclose an affair with a direct subordinate. Above, containers of Nestle hot chocolate mix on a store shelf.
(Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)
By Sonja Wind
Sept. 2, 2025 10:37 AM PT
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NestlĂ© is turning to the executive who runs its Nespresso coffee empire to try and steady the worldâs largest food business after it was rocked by the second CEO firing in a little over a year.
Philipp Navratil is taking over as chief executive at the Swiss company, after the exit of Mark Schneider for underperformance last year and Laurent Freixe on Monday for failing to disclose an affair with a direct subordinate. The female employee no longer works at Nestle, according to a person familiar with the situation who asked not to be named, discussing confidential matters.
Itâs unprecedented turmoil for a company that has been renowned for its internal succession planning and staid corporate culture.
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Freixeâs ouster âhas left us shocked,â RBC analysts, including James Edwardes Jones, said in a note. âWe thought of him as a NestlĂ© lifer who would restore the companyâs reputation of slightly boring predictability. How wrong we were.â
The quick reshuffle raises the question of why NestlĂ© immediately appointed a permanent internal CEO, âinstead of taking time to conduct a full assessment of internal and external candidates,â Jefferies analysts said.
Now investorsâ eyes are on Navratil, a company veteran of more than 20 years who at the age of 49 could conceivably run the maker of KitKat chocolate bars for a decade or more. He joined NestlĂ© in 2001 and has spent much of his career in Central America, including Mexico, with a focus on the coffee business.
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He later ran the groupâs global coffee unit, overseeing the NescafĂ© brand and the license agreement with Starbucks Corp. that analysts see as one of NestlĂ©âs most promising businesses. He became CEO of Nespresso, the maker of coffee machines and single-use capsules, in July 2024.
Navratilâs appointment, along with NestlĂ©âs change of chairman next year, is âthe real generational step that should probably have happened 12 months earlier,â Baader analyst Andreas von Arx said in a note.
Even so, the Swiss and Austrian national faces skepticism about whether he can reboot a company whose shares have slumped over 40% since their early 2022 peak. The slide, which began under Schneider, had been Freixeâs job to reverse.
But the ex-CEOâs efforts came to an abrupt end after an investigation found Freixe had violated NestlĂ©âs code of conduct, according to a release late Monday. He will not receive an exit package, a spokesperson said.
The matter was first brought to company officialsâ attention through an internal system called âspeak up,â according to a person familiar with the situation who asked not to named. After the allegations couldnât be substantiated via an initial probe, further concerns were raised via the internal system and an investigation with external counsel was launched, the person said.
Commenting on his new role, Navratil said he will âfully embrace the companyâs strategic directionâ â a clear signal heâll continue Freixeâs strategy of boosting spending on advertising, betting on fewer but bigger product initiatives and getting rid of underperforming units.
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He inherits ongoing restructuring, including the potential sale of struggling vitamin brands, and finding a potential partner for NestlĂ©âs bottled water business, which Freixe separated into a standalone unit.
âWe are disappointed that the CEO is boxed in for now to follow his predecessorâs strategy at a time where the market is doubting the outcome,â JPMorgan analyst Celine Pannuti said in a note.
Some of NestlĂ©âs challenges are beyond its direct control. While Freixe often noted about 90% of its U.S.-sold products are made domestically and are therefore outside the scope of President Trumpâs tariffs, a key exception is Nespressoâs Swiss-made coffee capsules. They now face a 39% levy.
Itâs a business Navratil knows well, at least.
*Wind writes for Bloomberg.*
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| Readable Markdown | NestlĂ© is turning to the executive who runs its Nespresso coffee empire to try and steady the worldâs largest food business after it was rocked by the second CEO firing in a little over a year.
Philipp Navratil is taking over as chief executive at the Swiss company, after the exit of Mark Schneider for underperformance last year and Laurent Freixe on Monday for failing to disclose an affair with a direct subordinate. The female employee no longer works at Nestle, according to a person familiar with the situation who asked not to be named, discussing confidential matters.
Itâs unprecedented turmoil for a company that has been renowned for its internal succession planning and staid corporate culture.
Freixeâs ouster âhas left us shocked,â RBC analysts, including James Edwardes Jones, said in a note. âWe thought of him as a NestlĂ© lifer who would restore the companyâs reputation of slightly boring predictability. How wrong we were.â
The quick reshuffle raises the question of why NestlĂ© immediately appointed a permanent internal CEO, âinstead of taking time to conduct a full assessment of internal and external candidates,â Jefferies analysts said.
Now investorsâ eyes are on Navratil, a company veteran of more than 20 years who at the age of 49 could conceivably run the maker of KitKat chocolate bars for a decade or more. He joined NestlĂ© in 2001 and has spent much of his career in Central America, including Mexico, with a focus on the coffee business.
He later ran the groupâs global coffee unit, overseeing the NescafĂ© brand and the license agreement with Starbucks Corp. that analysts see as one of NestlĂ©âs most promising businesses. He became CEO of Nespresso, the maker of coffee machines and single-use capsules, in July 2024.
Navratilâs appointment, along with NestlĂ©âs change of chairman next year, is âthe real generational step that should probably have happened 12 months earlier,â Baader analyst Andreas von Arx said in a note.
Even so, the Swiss and Austrian national faces skepticism about whether he can reboot a company whose shares have slumped over 40% since their early 2022 peak. The slide, which began under Schneider, had been Freixeâs job to reverse.
But the ex-CEOâs efforts came to an abrupt end after an investigation found Freixe had violated NestlĂ©âs code of conduct, according to a release late Monday. He will not receive an exit package, a spokesperson said.
The matter was first brought to company officialsâ attention through an internal system called âspeak up,â according to a person familiar with the situation who asked not to named. After the allegations couldnât be substantiated via an initial probe, further concerns were raised via the internal system and an investigation with external counsel was launched, the person said.
Commenting on his new role, Navratil said he will âfully embrace the companyâs strategic directionâ â a clear signal heâll continue Freixeâs strategy of boosting spending on advertising, betting on fewer but bigger product initiatives and getting rid of underperforming units.
He inherits ongoing restructuring, including the potential sale of struggling vitamin brands, and finding a potential partner for NestlĂ©âs bottled water business, which Freixe separated into a standalone unit.
âWe are disappointed that the CEO is boxed in for now to follow his predecessorâs strategy at a time where the market is doubting the outcome,â JPMorgan analyst Celine Pannuti said in a note.
Some of NestlĂ©âs challenges are beyond its direct control. While Freixe often noted about 90% of its U.S.-sold products are made domestically and are therefore outside the scope of President Trumpâs tariffs, a key exception is Nespressoâs Swiss-made coffee capsules. They now face a 39% levy.
Itâs a business Navratil knows well, at least.
*Wind writes for Bloomberg.*
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