Kurt Schmidt, deputy executive vice president in charge of Nestlé Nutrition, has decided to leave the company for personal reasons and to pursue opportunities outside Nestlé as of 1 December 2012. Nestlé’s board of directors has appointed Luis Cantarell as head of Nestlé Nutrition. Cantarell will assume this role in addition to his current responsibilities as president and CEO of Nestlé Health Science. Between 2001 and 2005 he was in charge of Nestlé’s Nutrition strategic business division, a business he was instrumental in setting up.

The decision to bring Nestlé Nutrition and Nestlé Health Science under the same leadership is in line with Nestlé’s strategic focus to further strengthen and develop the company’s presence in global nutrition.