Who is Laurent Freixe? Everything to know about the Nestlé CEO fired over undisclosed romantic relationship with company employee

Swiss food company Nestlé has abruptly fired Chief Executive Officer Laurent Freixe due to his failure to disclose a "romantic relationship" with a "direct subordinate," which reportedly violated the company's code of conduct.

The multinational food conglomerate, which is behind products such as KitKat and Nesquik, announced the decision on September 1, 2025, exactly a year after Freixe was made CEO.

For the uninitiated, Laurent Freixe is a French national who joined Nestlé in 1986 and rose through the ranks, and was appointed as the global CEO on September 1, 2024. According to the BBC, his termination came after an investigation spearheaded by Paul Bulcke, the company's chairman, and Pablo Isla, the lead independent director, with external support from outside counsel.

A report submitted to the company's whistleblowing channel was the catalyst for the investigation. As per The Financial Times, the incident was previously investigated after concerns were raised about the former CEO's "romantic relationship" with the "direct subordinate" earlier this year.

However, the first investigation, which was done internally, yielded no evidence to substantiate the claim at the time. After a report was filed through the whistleblowing channel, a second investigation was launched, this time with the help of outside counsel.

The claims were found to be true, and Freixe was fired with "immediate effect" with no exit package. In a statement announcing the news, Paul Bulcke said:

"This was a necessary decision. Nestlé's values and governance are strong foundations of our company. I thank Laurent for his years of service at Nestlé."

Furthermore, a Nestlé spokesperson stated:

"We acted at all times in line with best practice corporate governance. The external investigation was opened shortly after the initial internal investigation, and today's decision shows that we are taking allegations and investigations seriously."

Additionally, Nestlé has named Philipp Navratil as Laurent Freixe's successor. Navratil, who has been employed in Nestlé since 2001, stated that the company is "not changing course on strategy and we will not lose pace on performance."

Laurent Freixe graduated from EDHEC Business School

Laurent Freixe was reportedly born in Paris in 1962. According to his LinkedIn profile, he graduated with a marketing degree from EDHEC Business School in Lille in 1985. He also received training at Switzerland’s IMD Program for Executive Development, and joined Nestlé's marketing and sales department in 1986.

In 1994, Laurent Freixe was appointed the director of the company's marketing division nutrition in France, before heading the nutrition division in Nestlé France. In 2003, he was appointed the CEO of the Hungary branch. In 2007, Freixe was made CEO of the Iberian Region branch.

In 2008, he was promoted to the head office in Vaud, Switzerland, as the Executive Vice President & CEO Zone Europe. In 2013, he reportedly launched the Nestlé Needs YOUth initiative, a global program to offer economic and employment opportunities to people under 30.

In 2014, Freixe was made Executive VP & CEO Zone Americas. He was promoted to Executive VP & CEO Zone Latin America in 2022.

In September 2024, Laurent Freixe was made the Chief Executive Officer of the company's headquarters in Switzerland, succeeding Mark Schneider.

According to First Post, the company designated him as a "natural leader" when he was appointed CEO in 2024, adding:

“Throughout his time at the company, he has been fundamental in driving innovation and leading performance across Nestlé’s value chain to help enable healthier lives and contribute to the communities in which the Group operates."

Freixe led the company globally till his termination in September 2025. Not much is known about Laurent Freixe's personal life.

In addition to his work in Nestlé, Laurent Freixe was the Chairman of the Global Apprenticeship Network and the Global Alliance of YOUth. He was also a board member at WDCSD and the Consumer Goods Forum.

Laurent Freixe is not the only CEO to come under fire for his relationship with an employee in recent times. Andy Byron, former CEO of Astromoner, resigned from the US-based tech company after a video of him embracing the company's chief people officer at a Coldplay concert went viral in July 2025.

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Edited by Divya Singh