CPG leadership shake-up
Several global CPG giants — Ferrero, Unilever, Nestlé, Coca‑Cola, Kraft Heinz and Hershey — are reshuffling top management, with Ferrero even dropping a traditional CEO role for a dual-executive model to speed brand and platform growth reported. The pattern signals boards are prioritizing agility and brand-led transformation — a governance environment where FP&A that ties analytics to strategic choices gains a louder seat at the table.
Ferrero’s board approved a new governance structure on 11 February 2026 and the group announced)) Alessandro Nervegna will be CEO of a newly defined “Ferrero Core” role, effective 1 September 2026. The Ferrero release says)) Lapo Civiletti will transition to President of Ferrero Ice Cream and WK Kellogg Co while remaining Vice President of Ferrero International S.A., with both roles reporting into Giovanni Ferrero. Barry Callebaut’s board appointed Hein Schumacher as CEO effective 26 January 2026 according to the company statement)), a move framed against recent cocoa volatility after cocoa represented about 31% of Barry Callebaut’s sales and 15.5% of operating profit in 2024/25. (money.usnews.com) The Coca‑Cola Company announced EVP/COO Henrique Braun will succeed James Quincey as CEO on 31 March 2026 while Quincey transitions to Executive Chairman, per Coca‑Cola’s leadership pages. (coca-colacompany.com) Kraft Heinz confirmed Steve Cahillane started as CEO on 1 January 2026 and the company reiterated the planned separation into two public companies—Global Taste Elevation Co. and North American Grocery Co.—as part of the CEO transition. (news.kraftheinzcompany.com) Unilever effected executive changes on 1 March 2026 with Prakash Kakkad appointed Chief Legal Officer and Group Company Secretary and added to the Unilever Leadership Executive, per Unilever’s leadership announcement. (unilever.com) Nestlé’s board confirmed Paul Bulcke will not seek re‑election at the AGM on 16 April 2026 and proposed Pablo Isla as his successor for Chair of the Board, formalizing a governance handover ahead of this year’s shareholder meeting. (gsnnews.com) The Hershey Company launched a unified U.S. commercial model called ONE Hershey on 16 March 2026 and has been operating under CEO Kirk Tanner—appointed 18 August 2025—with Andrew Archambault’s role expanded to lead U.S. commercial planning and execution under the new model. (thehersheycompany.com)
