Pablo Isla, appointed global president of Nestlé

BarcelonaSpanish executive Pablo Isla has been appointed global chairman of the Swiss multinational food company Nestlé, the company announced in a statement issued Wednesday. Isla will take office in April 2026, replacing Paul Bulcke.

"After nearly 50 years of service, including 14 years on the executive board, almost 9 years as CEO, and 9 years as chairman, Paul Bulcke has decided to step down from his duties on the board at the end of the company's next general shareholders' meeting," the food group's statement reads. "The board of directors has decided to propose Pablo Isla for election as chairman at the shareholders' meeting on April 26, 2026, allowing for a smooth transition and an orderly handover," the statement added regarding the changeover at the head of the board.

In the same statement, Isla thanked the board for its "trust" and expressed his enthusiasm for taking on this new role. The Spanish executive will work alongside Laurent Freixe, who was appointed CEO of Nestlé last September.

Eleven years leading Inditex

Isla has a long business career. Born in Madrid in 1964, he studied law at the Complutense University of Madrid and passed the civil service exams to become a State Attorney in 1988, first in his class. He subsequently held various management positions at the now-defunct Banco Popular, with a two-year hiatus as Director General of State Assets in the first administration of José María Aznar.

Between 2000 and 2005, he chaired the Spanish tobacco company Altadis, from where he made the leap to Inditex, the fashion giant founded by Amancio Ortega and parent company of clothing chains such as Zara, Bershka, and Stradivarius, among others. At the fashion company, he held the position of CEO until 2011, when went on to hold his presidency With Ortega's gradual retirement, he left the Spanish textile group in 2022.

In 2018, Isla had already joined Nestlé's board of directors and last year was appointed Vice Chairman and Chief Independent Director. He also serves on the Nomination and Compensation and Corporate Governance committees, serving as chairman of the latter.