NEW YORK, Sep 02 (APP): Nestle, the Swiss multinational conglomerate and the world’s largest food company, has dismissed its chief executive, Laurent Freixe, over an undisclosed relationship with a subordinate, a breach of the company’s code of conduct, the company said in a news release issued in Zurich on Monday.
Freixe will be replaced by a longtime Nestlé executive, Philipp Navratil, it said.
Nestle said that Freixe’s dismissal followed an investigation into a romantic relationship he had with a direct subordinate.
In Pakistan, Nestle has offices & factories spread all over the country, with headoffice in Lahore.
The release said Freixe’s investigation was overseen by the company’s chairman, Paul Bulcke, with an outside director and counsel.
“This was a necessary decision,” Bulcke said in a statement. “Nestle’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service at Nestle.”
Navratil, who replaces Freixe effective immediately, was previously senior vice president and head of the company’s Coffee Strategic Business Unit, overseeing global strategy for the Nescafé and Starbucks brands. He began his career at Nestlé as an internal auditor in 2001, and was named country manager for Nestlé Honduras in 2009.