VIA GRAPHIC PLUS |MANILA, Philippines — Nestlé Group CEO Philipp Navratil made his first official visit to the Philippines since assuming his role, accompanied by Remy Ejel, CEO of Nestlé Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa (AOA). The trip highlighted the country’s importance as one of Nestlé’s ten largest markets worldwide and its largest market in Southeast Asia.
With its strong economic growth and young, growing population, the Philippines is a strategic growth market for Nestlé. Supported by consumers who are deeply connected to Nestlé brands, the local business has significant opportunities to accelerate growth, strengthen its market leadership and contribute to the Nestlé Group’s performance.
“The Philippines is one of Nestlé’s most dynamic and promising markets,” said Mr. Navratil. “It has strong fundamentals, talented people and significant potential for further growth. We are committed to investing behind our brands, capabilities and operations to capture these opportunities, while contributing to the health and well-being of Filipino families and the communities we serve.”
During their time in the country, Mr. Navratil and Mr. Ejel visited retail outlets to gain firsthand insights into the market. They met with Nestlé Philippines employees and business leaders and toured one of the company’s manufacturing facilities. At an employee townhall, they discussed the country’s growth potential and the important role Nestlé Philippines plays in the company’s global business.
Mr. Navratil and Mr. Ejel also visited the Nestlé Wellness Campus (NWC), the company’s flagship nutrition education program in the Philippines and part of the global Nestlé for Healthier Kids initiative. Established in 2013 in partnership with the Department of Education, the program promotes healthy eating, proper hydration, physical activity and other positive lifestyle habits in public schools. It now reaches 12 million students in 26,000 public schools across nine regions, making it the country’s most widely implemented nutrition education program.
The NWC contributes to Nestlé’s ambition to help 50 million children worldwide lead healthier lives by 2030.
Throughout their trip, Mr. Navratil and Mr. Ejel saw how Nestlé Philippines, under the leadership of the local Chairman and CEO Mauricio Alarcón, is embedding sustainability across its operations. Initiatives including biomass boilers, packaging improvements and consumer waste recovery programs demonstrate how the local business is reducing its environmental impact while strengthening operational efficiency and resilience.
Started in 1927, the Philippines Graphic is the longest-running printed magazine of national circulation that provides relevant news and features and promotes Philippine literature.
