Closing out a 36-year career at Nestlé, Marco Settembri, executive vice president and CEO Zone Europe, is retiring. He will step down from the group executive board on June 30. Taking over as CEO Zone Europe and on the board will be Guillaume Le Cunff, currently CEO of Nespresso.
Settembri has held several management positions across various businesses since joining Nestlé Italy in 1987. Under his leadership, Purina PetCare emerged as one of Nestlé's largest and most profitable businesses in Europe. In 2017, he was appointed head of Zone EMENA (Europe, Middle East and North Africa). Following a change in geographical focus and the creation of new zones in 2022, he became head of Zone Europe.
“On behalf of our board of directors and our executive board, I would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Marco for his many years of outstanding service to Nestlé,” says Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO. “We wish him great success and fulfillment in this new phase of his life.”
Le Cunff joined Nestlé in 1998, initially leading internal audit and finance functions before moving to Nespresso in 2007. He was appointed president of Nespresso USA in 2015, subsequently leading the successful launch of Vertuo and helping to establish Nespresso’s place in the U.S. coffee market. In 2020, Le Cunff became global CEO of Nespresso, where he drove geographic expansion and organic growth. He introduced pioneering initiatives such as Reviving Origins, a program aimed at supporting coffee regions that have endured conflicts or natural disasters, and he was instrumental in the development of home-compostable capsules.
“Guillaume is an inspiring and seasoned business leader with extensive experience in brand building, innovation, e-commerce and sustainability,” Schneider says. “He is the ideal leader to take Zone Europe to the next level. We wish Guillaume every success in his new role.”