He Swiss giant Of the food, Nestlé, communicated on Monday the immediate dismissal of its executive director, Laurent Freixeafter an internal investigation that revealed an “unrelated romantic relationship” with a direct subordinate.
The multinational, based in Vavey, Swisshe considered that this conduct violated his code of business conduct, which led to the dismissal of Ash After almost 40 years in the company.
The investigation was supervised by the president of NestléPaul Bulcke, and the main independent counselor, Pablo Isla, with the support of an external advisor.
“This was a necessary decision […] The values and governance of Nestlé They are solid pillars of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service, ”said Bulcke in a statement.
Freixe antecedent
Ash He assumed the position of CEO in September 2024, after the departure of his predecessor, Mark Schneider.
During its management, Nestlé He faced financial challenges, reporting in July 2025 net benefits of 5065 million francs (about 54 billion euros) in the first half of the year, 10.3% less than in the same period of 2024, due to the strength of the Swiss Franco that negatively impacted sales.
Despite his long career in Nestlé Since 1986, Freixe had received recent criticism for some business decisions, which added to the scandal of the relationship not revealed precipitated his departure.
The scandal coincides with a transition period in Nestlé. Paul Bulcke, current president, announced in June that he will leave office in 2026, and will be replaced by Pablo Isla, former president of Inditex (2011-2022). Isla participated in the investigation that ended with the dismissal of Freixe.
Philipp Navrathil, New CEO
The Board of Directors of Nestlé He appointed Navrathil Philipp as the new CEO, immediately effective.
Navrathil, who entered the company’s executive table in January 2025, has a 24 -year trajectory in the multinational.
He began his career in 2001 as an internal auditor and held various commercial positions in Central America, including the direction of Nestlé Honduras in 2009 and the leadership of the coffee and drink business in Mexico in 2013. Since July 2024, Navratil was in charge of Nespresso.
Bulcke highlighted Navrathil’s capabilities, noting that it is “recognized for its impressive career of results in challenging environments.” In addition, he said that the new CEO will “boost our growth plans and accelerate efficiency initiatives”, maintaining the company’s strategic course.
Similar cases in other multinationals
The case of Nestlé It is not isolated. In September 2023, the then executive director of the British multinational oil company BP, Bernard Looney, resigned for not having revealed personal relationships with colleagues.
A subsequent investigation determined that Looney had cheated “knowingly” the Board of Directors on these relations, which resulted in its formal dismissal and the loss of more than 32 million pounds in compensation.
BP reacted by implementing a policy that forces employees to declare intimate relationships with colleagues, under penalty of losing their jobs.
