Former Nestlé CEO Laurent Freixe was reportedly terminated following a complaint from senior executives through an anonymous hotline. Allegations suggest he was caught with a mistress at a hotel in Zurich.
This 63-year-old Frenchman lost his job earlier this week after an internal investigation revealed he had maintained an affair with a senior marketing executive who had left the company earlier in the year.
Interestingly, the current CEO claims Freixe also had a relationship with another subordinate—his so-called “official” mistress—who supposedly caught him with the other woman.
The situation has stirred quite a bit of turmoil within the largest food company globally, as detailed by a financial news website. The company’s chairman and vice-chairman reportedly confronted Freixe directly upon learning of the incident.
The primary mistress, according to reports, received a retirement package linked to the complaint. She has since taken up a new position in a high-ranking role at another major company.
Additionally, another subordinate connected to Freixe also departed the company, reportedly receiving a significant retirement package endorsed by Freixe himself.
After the scandal, a spokesperson for Nestlé stated that they would refrain from speculating further on the matter and emphasized that everything that needed to be said had already been addressed.
Freixe, who had been with Nestlé for nearly 40 years, was formally let go on Monday due to his failure to comply with the company’s code of conduct regarding relationships with direct reports. However, details on the explosive allegations about how the situation became public were not confirmed.
After the controversy, Freixe showed up on LinkedIn, mentioning he had “always got [his] phone back” and congratulating his successor, Philipp Navratil.
This incident marks one of the fastest declines in Nestlé’s history after Freixe was appointed CEO just a year prior. Senior executives, including Bulcke, noted that the move was crucial to uphold the values and ethical standards of Nestlé, emphasizing that all leaders are held to the same standards as the 270,000-strong workforce.
