Coca-Cola, Nestle, Kraft Heinz, Hershey: Big Food Is Living Through Its Biggest CEO Shake-Up in Decades
Boards across Big Food have replaced chief executives with leaders built for reinvention. A Boyden search specialist says the new CEOs get 18 to 24 months to show progress.
The people running the world’s biggest food companies are changing fast. Boards are trading steady operators for leaders hired to reshape portfolios and push digital, data and AI.
TLDR
- Coca-Cola, Nestle, Kraft Heinz, Hershey, Barry Callebaut and Suntory all have new CEOs.
- About 15 of the world’s 50 largest consumer products companies changed CEOs in 2025.
- New roles are spreading, including chief transformation officer and chief data and AI officer.
- New leaders are expected to show visible progress within 18 to 24 months.
Who Changed
- Coca-Cola: Henrique Braun succeeded James Quincey.
- Nestle: Philipp Navratil succeeded Laurent Freixe.
- Kraft Heinz: Steve Cahillane succeeded Carlos Abrams-Rivera.
- Hershey: Kirk Tanner succeeded Michele Buck. Former PepsiCo executive Heather Hoytink became president of the U.S. business in June, and Amanda Almond was named international president in September.
- Barry Callebaut: Hein Schumacher succeeded Peter Feld.
- Suntory: Nobuhiro Torii succeeded Takeshi Niinami.
What Boards Want Now
Issy Perez, an executive search specialist at Boyden, told FoodNavigator the turnover reflects shifts in consumer behavior, technology, portfolio strategy and growth. “Some of this movement is routine, but the pace is not,” Perez said.
Boards used to hire for scale and operational discipline. Now they want leaders who can reshape portfolios and drive digital and data transformation. “The CEO will be just as much a portfolio architect and change leader as an operator,” Perez said. New leaders are expected to deliver a credible transformation plan and visible progress within 18 to 24 months. “The window for patience is narrowing considerably.”
The change reaches below the CEO. Roles such as chief transformation officer, chief data and AI officer and chief growth officer are spreading, and the CFO, CMO and supply chain jobs are being redefined. Women in the top job remain rare.
Why It Matters
New leaders bring new priorities. With GLP-1 drugs, private label, ingredient regulation and AI shopping all pressuring the business at once, the next two years of portfolio cuts, acquisitions and reformulations will be shaped by the people who just took these seats.
Source: FoodNavigator. Read the report.