Before I Was CEO

Chapter 5A Shining PathThe Story of Nestlé's Paul Bulcke

Some conversations are forgotten after an hour, whereas others remain with you forever. The two conversations I have had with Paul Bulcke, who for eight years has been CEO of Nestlé, and was recently announced as the company's next Chairman, definitely fall into the second category.

Nestlé is a “quiet force” in the global economy: It is a force, because it is omnipresent in every American's life. Your coffee (e.g., Nespresso or Nescafé), your pasta and pizza (e.g., Buitoni or Di Giorno) and your pet food (e.g., Friskies, Felix, or Dog Chow) are from Nestlé. So is your ice cream (e.g., Haägen-Dazs or Dreyer's), your candy (e.g., Kit Kat or Butterfinger), and even your water (e.g., Poland Spring or Perrier). But it is also a quiet force, because it is very likely you didn't realize any of these brands belonged to this Swiss company. And not only is it a force in America; it's a force worldwide. Nestlé has a presence in almost every country and is the largest food and beverages company in the world.

In the same way that Nestlé is a quiet force in the food world, I discovered that Paul Bulcke is a quiet force in the world of corporate executives. He looks like the CEO or Chairman of a large multinational company: he is elegant but not ostentatious, tall in stature and speaks in a low but warm voice. When he speaks, people listen, ...