因办公室恋情，巨头CEO被炒

Core Viewpoint - Nestlé has experienced a second CEO change within a year, reflecting deeper governance challenges amid performance pressures, with the recent dismissal of CEO Laurent Freixe due to a violation of the company's code of conduct related to an office romance [1][2][4]. Group 1: CEO Transition - Laurent Freixe was appointed CEO in August 2022, succeeding Mark Schneider, and was expected to lead the company through challenges [2]. - Freixe's tenure included significant organizational changes, such as restructuring the company into three major regions from five by 2025, and acquiring the remaining 40% stake in Chinese brand Xu Fu Ji [2][4]. - Philipp Navratil, the new CEO, has been with Nestlé since 2001 and has led the global coffee strategy and Starbucks collaboration since 2020 [3][4]. Group 2: Governance and Strategic Challenges - The rapid CEO changes may disrupt long-term strategic plans, particularly in emerging markets, product innovation, and sustainability [4]. - Frequent leadership turnover can create instability among employees and affect execution efficiency, especially within mid-level management [4]. - Investor confidence may be impacted due to the instability in leadership, potentially leading to increased short-term stock price volatility [4]. Group 3: Performance Pressure - Nestlé's half-year report for 2025 indicated sales of CHF 44.23 billion, with organic growth at 2.9%, but actual internal growth declined by 0.4%, and net profit fell from CHF 5.64 billion to CHF 5.06 billion, a 10.3% year-on-year decrease [4]. - Consumer resistance to price increases, particularly in Europe and the U.S., has become a critical factor in purchasing decisions amid inflationary pressures [4]. Group 4: Strategic Focus for New CEO - Navratil is expected to implement a multi-faceted approach to reverse the performance decline, including adjusting pricing strategies, enhancing innovation and digitalization, and focusing on emerging markets [5][6]. - The strategy may involve product tiering to address consumer price sensitivity and accelerating the development of health-focused and functional products [6]. - Balancing resource allocation across diverse product lines while addressing growth bottlenecks in non-coffee segments will be crucial for Nestlé's recovery [6].