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Global consumer goods leader the Swiss conglomerate has declared it will cut 16,000 positions during the upcoming biennium, as its new CEO Philipp Navratil pushes a strategy to focus on products offering the “highest potential returns”.

The Swiss company must “change faster” to stay aligned with a changing world and implement a “achievement-focused approach” that does not accept ceding ground to competitors, said Mr Navratil.

He took over from former CEO Laurent Freixe, who was let go in the ninth month.

The layoff announcement were made public on Thursday as the corporation announced stronger sales figures for the first nine months of 2025, with expanded revenue across its primary segments, encompassing coffee and sweets.

The biggest food & beverage firm, Nestlé operates numerous labels, like Nescafé, KitKat and Maggi.

Nestlé plans to remove 12,000 administrative positions in addition to 4,000 additional positions company-wide during the next biennium, it said in a statement.

These job cuts will result in savings of the corporation about 1bn SFr (£940m) per annum as within an continuous efficiency drive, it said.

Nestlé's share price increased by more than seven percent shortly after its trading update and restructuring news were revealed.

Mr Navratil stated: “We are cultivating a corporate environment that embraces a achievement-oriented approach, that does not accept losing market share, and where achievement is incentivized... The marketplace is evolving, and Nestlé needs to change faster.”

This transformation would include “difficult yet essential actions to cut staff numbers,” he added.

Financial expert a financial commentator remarked the report indicated that the new CEO wants to “enhance clarity to sectors that were formerly less clear in its expense reduction initiatives.”

The job cuts, she noted, seem to be an effort to “reset expectations and restore shareholder trust through measurable actions.”

The former CEO was dismissed by the company in the start of last fall following a probe into reports from staff that he failed to report a private liaison with a direct subordinate.

The former board leader the ex-chairman moved up his exit timeline and stepped down in the same month.

It was reported at the moment that stakeholders held accountable Mr Bulcke for the company's ongoing problems.

In the prior year, an investigation discovered Nestlé baby food products marketed in low- and middle-income countries contained unhealthily high levels of sweeteners.

The study, by a Swiss NGO and the International Baby Food Action Network, established that in several situations, the equivalent goods marketed in developed nations had no added sugar.

• The corporation manages hundreds of brands internationally.
• Layoffs will involve 16,000 employees over the upcoming biennium.
• Expense cuts are estimated to reach one billion Swiss francs annually.
• Share price climbed 7.5% after the update.