Who Is Laurent Freixe, Former Nestle CEO Fired For Having Workplace Affair?

After Coldplay gate another CEO is making headlines for having inappropriate relations with his employee. Laurent Freixe, the CEO of Nestlé, recently made headlines after an investigation revealed that he was in an undisclosed romantic relationship with a junior employee. Read on to know more about the CEO and the reason why he got fired from his position after working for more than 40 years with the company. 

Who Is Nestle’s Former CEO, Laurent Freixe?

The mega corporation announced that it will be replacing its CEO, Laurent Freixe, who has been working with Nestle for more than 40 years. Laurent Freixe is a French businessman who was born in Paris in 1962. He studied business administration at Ecole de Hautes Etudes Commerciales du Nord (EDHEC) in Lille, France, and completed the Program for Executive Development at IMD, Switzerland.

Laurent began his career with Nestle in 1986, where he first worked in the sales and marketing department in France. Frexie then led the company’s Hungary and the Iberian Region, before joining the Executive Board for Zone Europe. He was also responsible for joining Nestle’s youth initiative, Nestle Needs YOUth.

In 2014, Laurent Freixe became Executive Vice President and CEO of Zone Americas, overseeing the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He was named International Youth Ambassador in 2018 and, in 2022, became Executive Vice President and CEO of Zone Latin America, also supporting the CEO on zone coordination. Finally, on September 1, 2024, Laurent Freixe took over as CEO of Neste, succeeding Ulf Mark Schneider. 

Investigation Launched Against Laurent Freixe

However, just a year later, news of Laurent being fired from his position made headlines. Nestlé’s board launched an inquiry into his private life, which was overseen by chairman Paul Bulcke and led by independent director Pablo Isla. In a statement,  Bulcke called the decision to fire Freixe “necessary”, adding, “Nestlé’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service.”

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The investigation concluded with Laurent being fired for having inappropriate relations with a subordinate in the company, and Phillip Navratil being appointed as the new CEO of Nestle. 

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