Nestlé Changes Leadership Team

27 Sep 2016 --- The head of Nestlé Waters is to become the Swiss company's new Head of EMENA (Europe, the Middle East and North Africa), one of a number of changes enacted by the world's largest food and drinks company.

Marco Settembri, currently Executive Vice President and Head of Nestlé Waters, is replacing Luis Cantarell as Executive Vice President and Head of Zone EMENA, from January next year.

Cantarell is retiring in January next year, after 40 years with Nestlé.

Settembri, an Italian citizen with a business degree from the Bocconi University in Milan, joined Nestlé Italy in 1987. 

In 2004 he was appointed Managing Director of Sanpellegrino and in 2006 his responsibilities were extended when he became Market Head in Italy. In 2007 he was appointed CEO of Nestlé Purina PetCareEurope. He took over as Head of Nestlé Waters in 2013.

Maurizio Patarnello, currently Market Head of Nestlé Russia and Eurasia Region, will be appointed Deputy Executive Vice President and Head of Nestlé Waters.

Patarnello, an Italian, joined Nestlé in 1993 and held several positions in finance before moving to Sanpellegrino in 1999. 

Since 2002 he has held positions a number of positions with the Nestlé Waters business and was appointed Chief Operating Officer and Regional Business Head for Nestlé Waters Middle East and Africa in 2004, with the responsibility of Nestlé Waters Asia added in 2007. 

In 2010, Patarnello was promoted to Market Head for Ukraine and Moldova. He moved to his current role of Market Head of Nestlé Russia and Eurasia Region in October 2012. 

In a further change, Nestlé is rejigging the structure of its Nestlé Professional division from a globally managed business to a regionally managed business.

In this new set-up the regional managers will report directly into their respective geographical zones, which Nestlé says will mean it can be more focused on its customers.