VEVEY, SWITZERLAND — Nestlé’s board of directors has appointed Jeff Hamilton, currently business head of Purina PetCare, Europe, as chief executive officer for the Americas and member of the group executive board, effective July 1. 

Hamilton’s appointment follows the retirement of Steve Presley, executive vice president and CEO for the Americas, after nearly 30 years of service. He will leave his role and the executive board on April 30. 

“We are very grateful to Steve for his many years of dedicated service to our company and extend our best wishes to him for his future endeavors,” said Laurent Freixe, CEO of Nestlé. “We are excited to announce that Jeff will become the new CEO of Zone Americas. Jeff has consistently demonstrated exceptional performance and a remarkable ability to inspire and motivate his teams. We look forward to working with Jeff to drive our growth strategy in Zone Americas.”

Hamilton began his career in 1991 at Purina in the United States as a sales representative. Throughout his time at Purina, he has held various leadership positions, including president and CEO of Nestlé Canada, president of Nestlé’s Foods Division in the United States, and vice president of marketing at Nestlé Purina Asia, Oceania and Africa.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.