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Food and beverage giant Nestlé has declared it will remove 16,000 roles over the next two years, as the recently appointed chief executive Philipp Navratil drives a strategy to prioritize products offering the “most lucrative outcomes”.

The Swiss company has to “adapt more quickly” to keep pace with a dynamic global environment and implement a “results-oriented culture” that rejects losing market share, said Mr Navratil.

He took over from former CEO the previous leader, who was terminated in September.

These workforce reductions were revealed on Thursday as the corporation reported better revenue numbers for the first nine months of 2025, with higher revenue across its major categories, such as beverages and confectionery.

The world's largest packaged food and drink firm, this industry leader operates hundreds of product lines, like its coffee, chocolate, and food brands.

The company intends to remove twelve thousand white collar positions on top of 4,000 further jobs across the board during the next biennium, it said in a statement.

The lay-offs will result in savings of the corporation about 1bn SFr (£940m) per annum as within an ongoing cost-savings effort, it said.

Nestlé's share price increased 7.5% soon after its quarterly update and job cuts were made public.

Mr Navratil commented: “We are building a corporate environment that adopts a results-driven attitude, that will not abide competitive setbacks, and where achievement is incentivized... The marketplace is evolving, and the company requires accelerated transformation.”

Such change would encompass “hard but necessary choices to trim the workforce,” he noted.

Market analyst an industry specialist remarked the announcement signalled that Nestlé's leader wants to “increase openness to areas that were previously more opaque in its expense reduction initiatives.”

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

His forerunner was dismissed by the company in the beginning of the ninth month subsequent to an inquiry into reports from staff that he did not disclose a personal involvement with a direct subordinate.

Its departing chairman the ex-chairman brought forward his exit timeline and resigned in the identical period.

Sources indicated at the time that stakeholders blamed the outgoing leader for the firm's continuing challenges.

In the prior year, an inquiry found infant nutrition items from the company marketed in emerging markets had unhealthily high levels of added sugars.

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 extra sugars.

• The corporation owns numerous labels worldwide.
• Workforce reductions will involve sixteen thousand workers during the upcoming biennium.
• Savings are projected to reach CHF 1 billion each year.
• Stock value rose significantly after the announcement.