Nestlé USA has appointed Martin Thompson as its new chief executive officer and US market head, effective from 1 January 2025.
Thompson will report to Steve Presley, Nestlé’s top boss of Zone Americas, and join Zone Americas’ leadership team, the company added.
Presley stated, “For the last several years, Marty has led one of our most successful businesses, cementing our position as undisputed leaders in the coffee category.
“He was instrumental in doubling our Starbucks business globally in just four years and leading the expansion of Nescafé in the US market. He understands that our business, regardless of category, is all about the consumer – knowing them and delighting them at every turn.”
Martin Thompson
Thompson is an experienced professional who joined Nestlé in 2018, as part of the company’s acquisition of the Starbucks consumer packaged goods and foodservice product business.
In 2020, he was named president of Nestlé Coffee Partners, the US business housing brands such as Nescafé, Starbucks at Home, and Seattle’s Best.
Under his leadership, the business unit served as a key growth driver for the Nestlé USA business, delivering consecutive years of profitable growth and market share gains, the food giant noted.
Thompson has over 35 years of experience in the consumer packaged goods industry, with expertise in sales, marketing, and general management.
Before joining Nestlé, he served as CEO of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Company and held several leadership roles at the Clorox Company and Procter & Gamble.
In November of this year, Nestlé announced plans to boost advertising and marketing, trim costs by at least $2.8 billion (€2.7 billion) by 2027, and carve out its water and premium drinks businesses into a stand-alone global unit.
