Chris Johnson
Nestlé has appointed Chris Johnson as the new CEO of its Asia, Oceania and Sub-Saharan Africa (AOA) division, effective from 1 January 2019.
Johnson has held several senior roles at Nestlé and has spent 35 years at the company, and he currently serves as the company’s head of group human resources & business services.
He has extensive experience in Asia, as he has served as the country manager of Nestlé Taiwan and the company’s market head in Japan, and he was also appointed as the head of Nestlé’s Americas division in January 2011.
The appointment follows the resignation of Wan Ling Martello, the unit’s current head, who will be leaving the company after seven years on 31 December 2018.
Martello was appointed as the CEO of the unit in 2015, and Nestlé claims that, under her leadership, the division became the most profitable and fastest growing business within the Nestlé Group.
Nestlé Germany CEO and former Coca-Cola executive Béatrice Guillaume-Grabisch has been appointed to succeed Johnson as the new head of group human resources & business services, also effective from 1 January 2019, and she will also join Nestlé’s Executive Board as a result of the appointment.
Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO said: “I would like to thank Wan Ling wholeheartedly for all her great achievements. Her drive and her enthusiasm for entrepreneurship are a great motivation for all of us.
“While I regret to see her leave Nestlé, I respect her decision. At the same time, we are excited to announce Chris as her successor.
Chris held various senior leadership roles at Nestlé and we are convinced that his extensive and longstanding business experience in the Asia Pacific region will support our significant growth ambitions there.
“Chris is a growth-oriented executive and his creativity, as well as his engaging style, will help us to take our business in Zone AOA to the next level.
“We are also proud to welcome Béatrice to the Executive Board. Her proven leadership skills, as well as her passion for people, corporate values, diversity and digital transformation in the food and beverages industry, will be a great inspiration for our employees
“We wish Wan Ling every success in her future activities and I look forward to working with Chris and Béatrice as we continue to grow and build Nestlé.”
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