Swiss food giant Nestlé said Monday it had dismissed its chief executive, Laurent Freixe, because of an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate.

The maker of Nescafé drinks and Purina pet food said in a statement that the dismissal was effective immediately. An investigation found the undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate violated Nestlé’s code of conduct.

Freixe, who had been CEO for a year, will be replaced by Philipp Navratil, a longtime Nestlé executive.

“This was a necessary decision,” Chair Paul Bulcke said. “Nestlé’s values and governance are strong foundations of our company.”

Navratil started his career with Nestlé in 2001 as an internal auditor and served in a variety of roles in Central America. In 2020, he joined Nestlé’s Coffee Strategic Busines

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