Scandal at the top of the Nestle giant. The general manager was fired for “violation of the code of professional conduct”
The general director of Nestle, Laurent Freixe. Photo: Gabriel Monnet / AFP / Profimedia
The Swiss company Nestlé announced, on Monday, the immediate effect of its general director Laurent Freixe, due to “an undeclared love relationship with a direct subordinate.” The Frenchman Laurent Freixe, 63, had been appointed in September 2024 to the management of the group that owns over 2,000 brands, including Nespresso coffee capsules or Kitkat chocolate sticks, the French press reports.
“It was a necessary decision. The Nestlé values and the good governance are the solid foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for the years of service,” said Paul Bulcke.
“A small bomb has just exploded in the leadership of the world number of the food industry, Nestlé. Exactly one year away from taking over the position, whose purpose was to relaunch the growth of a crisis group, Laurent Freixe, the general manager, was obliged by the Board of Directors to submit his resignation. of professional conduct of Nestlé, ”writes Le Figaro.
According to information Le Figaro, the person concerned left the company in July, writes News.ro.
“According to the best corporate governance practices, the Board of Directors ordered an investigation supervised by President Paul Bulcke and the independent principal director Pablo Isla, with the support of an independent external lawyer,” the statement issued by the Swiss group said on Monday evening.
Freixe, a company veteran, took over the position of CEO last year, after Nestle removed his predecessor, Mark Schneider.
Laurent Freixe will be replaced by the immediate effect by Philipp Navratil, who is a member of the Executive Committee of Nestlé on January 1, after spending two decades in different positions within the group's coffee division.
The scandal is likely to shake the group with sales of 97 billion euros, which had been two years old to return to a more dynamic growth.
This summer, a similar situation was at the top of the American company Astronomer, after revealing an adultery relationship between the company CEO and the group's human resources director, at a Coldplay concert, Le Figaro recalls.
