VEVEY, SWITZERLAND — Nestle SA has named vice chairman Pablo Isla to succeed board chairman Paul Bulcke next year.

The global food and beverage giant announced June 18 that Bulcke, who has served as chairman of Nestle’s board of directors for nine years, has decided not to stand for re-election at the company’s annual general meeting on April 16, 2026. As a result, the board nominated Isla to stand for election to chairman at the meeting, noting that the move will allow “time for a smooth transition and an orderly handover.”

Nestle said Isla and Laurent Freixe, who became global chief executive officer last September and a board member this past April, are “well-equipped to continue Nestle’s leadership in nutrition, health and wellness and to foster the company’s values and principles.”

A 46-year Nestle veteran, Bulcke has spent 14 years on the executive board, including as CEO from 2008 to 2016 and as chairman since 2017. Before becoming CEO, he spent four years as executive vice president and director for Nestle Zone Americas, which includes the company’s businesses in the United States, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Between 1996 and 2004, he shifted roles as market head for Portugal, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and then Germany. He joined Nestle in 1979 as a marketing trainee and then spent 16 years in marketing, sales and divisional functions for Nestlé Peru, Nestlé Ecuador and Nestlé Chile.

“It has been a true privilege and a pleasure to be part of Nestle’s journey over so many years, providing me with enriching experiences and responsibilities, ultimately as chair of the board of directors,” Bulcke said. “I am confident that with Pablo Isla, Laurent Freixe as well as a strong executive team and board of directors, the company is in trusted hands and will continue its promising growth and value creation journey. It is the right moment for me to dedicate more time to my family and to embrace my many other interests.”

Pablo Isla, former chairman and CEO of Spain-based international apparel company Inditex (Industria de Diseño Textil SA) from 2011 to 2022, joined Nestle’s board in 2018. He has been vice chairman and lead independent director since 2024 and serves on the board’s nomination, compensation, corporate governance and chairman’s committees.

“I thank the board for its confidence in proposing me as chairman and look forward to working with Laurent Freixe for Nestle’s continued success,” Isla said. “I am enthusiastic about taking on this new role, as I fully identify with Nestle’s nutrition, health and wellness strategy and its ‘Creating Shared Value’ approach to business.”

Since Freixe took the CEO reins from the departing Ulf Mark Schneider, Nestle consolidated its geographic organization and made changes to its executive board this past October; promoted Martin Thompson to Nestle USA CEO and US market head effective Jan. 1, 2025; and named Jeff Hamilton as Zone Americas CEO to replace the retiring Steve Presley, effective July 1.