Nestlé has announced a major leadership transition, with CEO Mark Schneider stepping down after eight years in the role.

Laurent Freixe, who currently serves as executive vice president and CEO of Nestlé’s Latin American operations, will assume the position of CEO on 1 September. Nestlé said that Schneider has decided to "relinquish his roles as CEO and member of the board of directors".

Freixe, with nearly 40 years at Nestlé, has driven growth in Europe "during the financial and economic crisis" and in the Americas, the Swiss food giant explained. He served as CEO of Zone Americas from 2014 to 2021, and following Nestlé's zone restructuring in 2022, Freixe was appointed CEO of Zone Latin America, a role he has held until now.

In addition to his new role, Freixe has been nominated for a position on the board of directors at the company’s 2025 Annual General Meeting.

L-R: Laurent Freixe and Mark Schneider

© Nestlé

Paul Bulcke, chairman of Nestlé's 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... Under his leadership, Nestlé will further strengthen its position as a dependable, reliable company through consistent and sustainable value creation."

He continued: "I would also like to express our gratitude to Mark 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."

Freixe commented: "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."

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