Nestlé vs Unilever: Founders, CEOs and History

Nestlé

Founded

1866

Headquarters

Vevey, Switzerland

Current CEO

Philipp Navratil

Employees

270,000

Unilever

Founded

1929

Headquarters

London, United Kingdom

Current CEO

Fernando Fernandez

Employees

96,092

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.

Unilever

• William Hesketh Lever

  William Hesketh Lever (later Lord Leverhulme) co-founded Lever Brothers with his brother James in 1885 and built it around Sunlight Soap, one of the first branded, individually wrapped soaps sold at mass scale.

• Samuel van den Bergh

  Samuel van den Bergh led Van den Bergh, a Dutch margarine maker that became one of Jurgens' main rivals. The two families combined their businesses into Margarine Unie in 1927, and Margarine Unie merged with Lever Brothers in 1929 to create Unilever.

• Anton Jurgens

  Anton Jurgens' family firm was among the first to manufacture margarine commercially in the Netherlands after the product was invented in France. Jurgens competed for decades with the Van den Bergh family before the two merged into Margarine Unie in 1927.

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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Unilever

1. Alan Jope2019–2023

   Chief Executive Officer

   Jope simplified Unilever's legal structure and organisation, which made later portfolio separations easier.

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2. Hein Schumacher2023–2025

   Chief Executive Officer

   Schumacher reset Unilever around fewer, bigger brands and set up the Ice Cream demerger before stepping down in February 2025.

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3. Fernando Fernandez2025–present

   Chief Executive Officer

   As CFO, the highly experienced Latin American executive enforces absolute financial discipline, attempting to restore investor confidence after years of sluggish stock performance.

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Nestlé

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

Unilever

• Dr. Squatch2025Undisclosed
• Wild2025Undisclosed
• Minimalist2025Undisclosed
• Paula's Choice2021Undisclosed
• Sir Kensington's2017Undisclosed
• Weis2017Undisclosed