Nestlé vs Samsung: Founders, CEOs and History

Nestlé

Founded

1866

Headquarters

Vevey, Switzerland

Current CEO

Philipp Navratil

Employees

270,000

Samsung

Founded

1969

Headquarters

Suwon, South Korea

Current CEO

Jun Young-hyun and Roh Tae-moon

Employees

259,149

Nestlé

• Henri Nestlé

  Henri Nestlé (1814-1890) developed Farine Lactée in 1867, a milk-and-cereal infant food for babies who could not be breastfed. Its success gave the company his name and nest logo. He sold the business in 1875.

• Charles Page

  Charles Page (1838-1873) was an American diplomat who recognized the potential for producing high-quality condensed milk utilizing Switzerland's abundant fresh milk supply. In 1866, he co-founded the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company with his brother George.

• George Page

  George Page co-founded the Anglo-Swiss Condensed Milk Company in 1866 and led it as it grew in Europe, selling condensed milk under the Milkmaid brand. He died in 1899, before the 1905 merger with Nestlé.

Samsung

• Lee Byung-chul

  Lee Byung-chul founded Samsung Sanghoe in Daegu in 1938, trading dried fish, produce and noodles.

Nestlé

1. Peter Brabeck-Letmathe1997–2008

   Chief Executive Officer

   Under Brabeck-Letmathe Nestle expanded in pet care, ice cream and baby food and became more focused on nutrition and health. He became chairman in 2005 and stayed in that role until 2017.

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2. Paul Bulcke2008–2016

   Chief Executive Officer

   During his tenure Nestle grew its nutrition and health-science businesses and strengthened its position in emerging markets. He handed the chief executive role to Ulf Mark Schneider in 2017 and became chairman.

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3. Mark Schneider2017–2024

   Chief Executive Officer

   Under Schneider Nestle focused its portfolio on coffee, pet care, nutrition and health science, and sold water, skin-care and confectionery assets. The board replaced him in 2024 and Laurent Freixe took over.

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4. Laurent Freixe2024–2025

   Former Chief Executive Officer

   Served as CEO before the board appointed Philipp Navratil in September 2025.

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5. Philipp Navratil2025–present

   Chief Executive Officer

   Appointed CEO on September 1, 2025 and tasked with accelerating execution, efficiency, and the existing strategic direction.

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Samsung

1. Jong-Hee Han2022–2025

   Vice Chairman and CEO

   A longtime TV business leader who helped keep Samsung the top global TV brand. He died suddenly in March 2025 while in office.

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2. Jay Y. Lee2022–present

   Executive Chairman

   Grandson of the founder and son of Lee Kun-hee. He was convicted in the 2017 bribery case and pardoned in 2022, and became Executive Chairman in October 2022. In 2025 the Supreme Court upheld his acquittal in the separate merger and accounting fraud case.

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3. Jun Young-hyun2024–present

   Vice Chairman, Co-Chief Executive Officer, Head of Device Solutions

   He implemented a complete overhaul of the semiconductor division's engineering processes, issuing a rare public apology in 2024 for the company's technological delays.

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4. Roh Tae-moon (TM Roh)2025–present

   Co-Chief Executive Officer, Head of Device eXperience

   As head of the MX (Mobile eXperience) division, he heavily integrated AI features (Galaxy AI) into the S-series flagship phones to combat Apple's dominance in the premium tier.

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Nestlé

• Starbucks consumer-products license2018$7.2B
• Gerber2007$5.5B
• Ralston Purina2001$10.3B
• Carnation1985$3B

Samsung

• FlaktGroup2025$1.7B
• Xealth2025Undisclosed
• Harman International2017$8B
• SmartThings2014$200M