Swiss food giant Nestlé is the latest global company to see a CEO ousted after an affair with a colleague. Chief executive Laurent Freixe, who had been at Nestlé for 40 years, was fired immediately due to an “undisclosed romantic relationship” with a direct subordinate, the company said in a statement. An investigation into the affair found it breached Nestle’s code of business conduct. “This was a necessary decision,” said Chairman Paul Bulcke. “Nestlé’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company.” The investigation was triggered after a report came through Nestlé’s whistleblowing channel, the BBC reported. Freixe will not receive a payout. He will be replaced as CEO by Philipp Navratil, who has been at the company since 2001. Nestle’s brands include pet food Purina, Gerber baby food, Häagen-Dazs, Kit Kat, Smarties, Hot Pockets and Cheerios. A fixture on the Fortune 500 list, Nestlé employs over 270,000 staff worldwide and sells their products into 188 markets. Freixe’s exit is the latest workplace romance to be revealed. Tech CEO Andy Bryant quit his role at Astronomer in July after being busted with his company’s HR chief on the kiss cam at a Coldplay concert.
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