Nestle Fires CEO Laurent Freixe Over Affair With Employee; Philip Navratil Appointed New CEO

September 2, 2025

New Delhi, Sep 2: FMCG company Nestle has fired its Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Laurent Freixe. This action has been taken against Laurent Freixe due to his affair with a fellow employee.

The company said in a notification on Monday that Laurent Freixe did not even inform the company about this relationship. This is a violation of the rules. The company has now appointed Senior Vice President and Head of Nestlé’s Coffee Strategic Business Unit Philip Navratil as the new CEO in his place.

Earlier, Astronomer Andy Byron was seen at a concert with his HR head. After this, he had to resign.

The company said, this action was necessary

Nestlé said the decision to sack Laurent Freixe was taken following an investigation that revealed he was in a romantic relationship with his direct subordinate (PA).

The investigation was overseen by company chairman Paul Bulcke and lead independent director Pablo Isla, with assistance from outside lawyers.

Paul Bulcke said, “This decision was necessary. Nestlé’s values ​​and principles mean a lot to us. I thank Laurent for his many years of service.”

Laurent Freixe had been working for the company for 40 years

Laurent Freixe was made chief executive only last year. At that time, Nestle’s stock had fallen by about 40% compared to the beginning of 2022. At that time people’s eating habits were changing due to weight-loss drugs in Europe and America. Laurent Freixe had worked in the company for about 40 years and replaced Ulf Mark Schneider.

The new CEO said- I will support the work of the company

The new Chief Executive (CEO) Philipp Navratil takes over with immediate effect. He started at Nestlé in 2001 as an internal auditor and became the country manager of Nestlé Honduras in 2009.

In 2013, he took over the company’s coffee and beverage business in Mexico. Last year, he became chief executive of Nestlé Nespresso and joined the company’s executive board this year.

Navratil said, ‘I fully support the company’s strategic direction and plan to improve its performance.’