Nestlé’s Board new nominees: Dick Boer to enhance the Board’s existing FMCG expertise; Dinesh Paliwal brings in-depth knowledge in AI, digital business and the cloud

(PRESS RELEASE) VEVEY, Switzerland, 14-Feb-2019 — /EuropaWire/ — Dick Boer and Dinesh Paliwal have just been nominated for election to the Board of Directors of Nestlé as independent members. Dick Boer is the former President and CEO of Ahold Delhaize N.V. while Dinesh Paliwal is the CEO and President Harman International Industries Inc., which is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

The proposed appointments will be voted for at the Annual General Meeting on April 11, 2019.

Following the election of the proposed nominees, Nestlé Board will then have 14 members and out of them 12 will be the independent directors. The new two appointments are joining nine other independent directors, all of them appointed in just the last four years.

The new nominees are proposed due to the fact that two current directors have reached the age limit set out in the Board Regulations. As a result, Jean-Pierre Roth and Ruth Oniang’o will retire from the Nestlé’s Board.

Nestlé’s Board also proposes the individual re-election of the Chairman and the other current members of the Board.

Nestlé’s Chairman Paul Bulcke:

“Our Board continues to provide important perspective on the fast-changing environment that is relevant to our business, and we are pleased to propose two new directors who will contribute highly relevant expertise and strengthen even further our current mix of perspectives. Dick Boer adds extensive food retail industry experience, and he will enhance the Board’s existing FMCG expertise. Dinesh Paliwal has in-depth knowledge in important emerging technology areas, including artificial intelligence, digital business models and cloud computing, with a broad global view. Both bring very relevant, cutting-edge expertise that will support Nestlé through our next phase of value creation and business development.”

“On behalf of the entire Board and management, I would like to warmly thank Ruth Oniang’o and Jean-Pierre Roth for their highly appreciated services and important contributions as directors.”

Henri de Castries, Chairman of the Nomination and Sustainability Committee and Nestlé’s Lead Independent Director:

“The continuous refreshment of the Board adds new perspectives in the different areas relevant to Nestlé. Our director selection process at Nestlé equips the Board with the right blend of capabilities, perspectives and experiences. We believe that we have the right Board composition to support sustainable value creation for shareholders and society.”

More information about Dick Boer: 

Nestlé’s Board new nominee: Dick Boer to enhance the Board’s existing FMCG expertise. Photo credit: Room for Discussion

Dick Boer is the former President and CEO of Ahold Delhaize N.V.. Ahold Delhaize is the leader in both supermarkets and e-commerce and one of the world’s largest food retail groups. Dick retired from the company in 2018. Earlier he was the President and CEO of Ahold, which later on merged with Delhaize to form the current major retailer Ahold Delhaize. Prior to that Dick Boer served Ahold Europe as its Chief Operating Officer. In 2000,  Boer became President and CEO of Albert Heijn and CEO of Ahold Czech Republic in 1998.

Prior to his positions in Ahold, he held various retail positions for SHV Holding N.V. and Unigro N.V. for nearly 17 years. Aside this, Dick Boer was also a member and Co-Chairman of the Consumer Goods Forum.

Dick Boer holds a degree in business economics and an executive postgraduate degree from IBO Business School.

He also serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of G-Star RAW and is Chairman of the Rijksmuseum Fonds and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Royal Concertgebouw in the Netherlands.

Due to his prior commitment as an advisor to Ahold Delhaize, Dick Boer will not participate in deliberations or activities on matters that may be of conflict to the interests of Ahold Delhaize until July 1, 2019.

More information on Dinesh Paliwal:

Nestlé’s Board new nominees: Dinesh Paliwal brings in-depth knowledge in AI, digital business and the cloud computing. Photo credit: ABB

Dinesh Paliwal is currently President and CEO of Harman International, which is an independent subsidiary (public company) of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. He worked for the company as Chairman and CEO from 2007 until 2017 between 2007 and 2017.  Harman International has been acquired by Samsung  in 2017. Prior to Harman has worked for ABB Ltd as President Global Markets and Technology. He spent 22 years with ABB holding various management positions in several countries.

Dinesh Paliwal holds a Master’s degree in Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) in Roorkee, as well as a Master’s degree in Applied Sciences and Engineering and an MBA from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.

Hi is also serving as Non-Executive Board member of Bristol-Myers Squibb, USA, and is a Director of Raytheon Company, USA.

Other prominent organisations he is member of include the Business Roundtable, Washington, D.C. and of the Board of the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC). Hi is a recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor – the highest civilian honor in the U.S.

SOURCE: Nestlé