SWITZERLAND – The food and beverages giant, Nestle has proposed two new independent directors- Dick Boer, and Dinesh Paliwal to join the company board.
Dick Boer who is former President and CEO of Ahold Delhaize N.V and Dinesh Paliwal, President and CEO of Harman International Industries Inc, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd will stand for an election to take place at the Annual General Meeting on April 11, 2019.
The two will succeed the current directors, Jean-Pierre Roth and Kenya-born and adjunct professor, Ruth Khasaya Oniang’o who both have reached the age-limit to retire from the board.
The board has also proposed the individual re-election of the Chairman and the other current members of the Board.
“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,” said Nestlé’s Chairman Paul Bulcke.
“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.”
With the proposed nominees, the Nestlé Board will comprise 14 members, of which 12 are independent directors.
Including the proposed nominees, Nestlé has added nine new independent directors over the last four years.
Dick Boer who holds a degree in business economics and an executive postgraduate degree from IBO Business School, has served in various critical roles at Ahold until he retired from the company in 2018 as President and CEO.
He has also worked at SHV Holding N.V. and Unigro N.V. and was a member and Co-Chairman of the Consumer Goods Forum.
He serves as Chairman of the Advisory Board of G-Star RAW, a fashion retail company, and is Chairman of the Rijksmuseum Fonds and a member of the Supervisory Board of the Royal Concertgebouw in the Netherlands.
Dinesh Paliwal also served as President Global Markets and Technology of ABB Ltd, where his 22-year career also involved other management positions in several countries.
He 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.
He serves as a Non-Executive Board member of Bristol-Myers Squibb, USA, and is a Director of Raytheon Company, USA.
In addition, he is also a member of the Business Roundtable, Washington, D.C., and of the Board of the U.S.-India Business Council (USIBC).
“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.”
