In September 2025, Nestlé dismissed its CEO after an investigation confirmed he had been in an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct report, a clear violation of the company’s Code of Business Conduct.
The story got headlines. But the real lesson was quieter.
The report came through the company’s internal “Speak Up” hotline. An initial investigation found nothing. Both parties denied the relationship. The case was closed. Then came a second report. Then a letter to the board. Then an investigation led by external counsel. This time, there was no ambiguity.
The board acted. Laurent Freixe was dismissed.
Was it messy? Yes. Was the timeline too long? Probably. But here is what matters: employees still used the hotline. The board ultimately enforced its standards. The system, imperfect as it was, functioned.
Contrast that with what Nestlé did a decade earlier, when a food safety executive named Dr. Yasmine Motarjemi raised serious internal alarms. Instead of investigating, the company pushed her out. The manager she warned about stayed. A Swiss court later confirmed what many suspected. The food safety incidents she had warned about came to pass.
Two stories. Same company. One is a course correction. One is a failure.
The difference is not intent. It is infrastructure. Do you have a system that makes telling the truth worth the risk? That question is the starting point for everything in this book.
The Inside Advantage 
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