Nestlé CEO Laurent Freixe fired over 'undisclosed romantic relationship'

The CEO of Nestlé - Laurent Freixe - has been sacked over an "undisclosed romantic relationship".

An internal investigation has found Mr Freixe, 63, had the relationship with a subordinate, and this breached its code of business conduct. Nestlé has now dismissed the man, who only became CEO last year.

The Swiss-headquartered multinational has already named Philipp Navratil as his replacement. Mr Navratil, 49, is himself Swiss, and earned an MBA from the University of St. Gallen.

Although he only became CEO in 2024, Mr Freixe was with Nestlé for 40 years, working his way through the hierachy. However, after allegations about the Frenchman came to light, Nestlé held an investigation, overseen by its chair, Paul Bulcke, and lead independent director, Pablo Isla, with the support of outside counsel.

And it found Mr Freixe, who started at Nestlé negotiating contracts with grocery stores, did have a relationship with the direct subordinate, which was in breach of the company’s conduct code.

READ MORE: KitKat launches 'ghostly' new flavour and people can't wait to try it

READ MORE: UK supermarket is testing new AI trolleys that keep track of what you're buying

In a statement, Mr Bulcke said: "This was a necessary decision. Nestlé’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service."

Nestlé, founded in 1866, owns consumer goods brands including KitKat chocolate, Häagen-Dazs ice-cream and Nespresso coffee capsules. Its headquarters are in Switzerland but its products can be found across the world.

Its new CEO, Mr Navratil, was "recognised for his impressive track record of achieving results in challenging environments" in the firm's announcement to unveil him as Mr Freixe's replacement. Mr 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.

The company's statement read: "Nestlé is renowned for his dynamic presence, he inspires teams and leads with a collaborative, inclusive management style. The board is confident that he will drive our growth plans forward and accelerate efficiency efforts. We are not changing course on strategy and we will not lose pace on performance." It gave no further information about Mr Freixe's breach of conduct.

Mr Navratil assumed leadership of the coffee and beverage business in Mexico in 2013, and transitioned to Nestlé’s coffee strategic business division in 2020. He moved to Nespresso in July 2024, and joined Nestlé’s executive board on 1 January this year.

Nestlé's leading confectionery brand in terms of both revenue and brand value is Kitkat. More than five billion bars sold annually across some 85 countries. Last month, it released a new flavour of Kitkat, which has been widely praised.