Laurent Freixe’s Affair: Nestlé in September fired its CEO, Laurent Freixe, following a complaint lodged via the company’s anonymous hotline. The caller claimed that he was having an affair with his subordinate. According to reports, the “main mistress” caught him with his lover, who used to directly report to him, inside a hotel in Zurich.
He was fired effective immediately
The company soon launched an internal investigation, which confirmed that Freixe was in a romantic relationship with a senior marketing executive who had left Nestlé earlier this year.
The senior leadership then asked him to go.
According to a report in Inside Paradepaltz, Nestlé Chair and vice chair, Paul Bulcke and Pablo Isla, asked him to leave the company, saying that their decision was “effective immediately”. The report also claims they accused him of being a “liar” and asked him to surrender his phone.
“Everything that needs to be said on the matter has been said, and I will not engage in further wild conjectures and speculation,” a Nestle spokesperson was quoted by the outlet as saying.
‘Main mistress received severance package’
The outlet further reported that the “main mistress”, who anonymously filed the complaint, received a severance package from the CEO. She moved to a higher position after she left the company.
The other subordinate, the woman with whom Freixe was allegedly caught red-handed, was also granted a severance package arranged by him, the report added.
Freixe breached the code of conduct
Nestlé said Freixe had violated its code of conduct by failing to disclose his relationship with a direct report. However, the company did not elaborate on how the scandal came to light.
“The departure of Laurent Freixe follows an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate which breached Nestlé’s Code of Business Conduct,” the company said.
It added, “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.”
Who is Laurent Freixe?
Frexie, a 40-year veteran at Nestlé, assumed the role of CEO last year. He was born in Paris and received his education at the École de Hautes Études Commerciales du Nord in Lille. He later completed the IMD Program for Executive Development in Switzerland.
He joined Nestlé in 1986 and steadily rose through the ranks in the marketing and sales divisions. In 2003, he was appointed CEO of Nestlé Hungary, and by 2007, he was leading operations in the Iberian region.
In November 2008, Freixe joined the Nestlé SA Executive Board as Executive Vice President for Zone Europe, before moving on to lead Zone Americas. In 2022, he was appointed CEO of Zone Latin America.
Meanwhile, Frexie took to LinkedIn to share that he is “reachable” and that he has got his mobile back. He even sent a congratulatory note to his successor – Philipp Navratil – and misspelt his name, a Swiss publication reported.
It is to be noted that the 63-year-old Freixe is married to Agata Balcerowska, who is a senior executive at Publicis.