Nestlé Zone Americas CEO Laurent Freixe has been named an International Youth Ambassador by the International Youth Organization for Ibero-America (OIJ).
The honorary title of International Youth Ambassador is a distinction that OIJ awards to people who, through their personal merits, and through initiatives, have promoted the development of young people.
Under Freixe's leadership, Nestlé launched an initiative in 2013 called 'Nestlé needs YOUth' to tackle youth unemployment in Europe – and subsequently expanded this globally. We also founded a strategic private sector alliance called 'Alliance for YOUth' in 2014, which now counts over 200 companies as members.
Laurent Freixe said: "The leaders of tomorrow need our guidance, our support, and above all they need opportunities and platforms where their voice can be heard and their ideas can be realized. I firmly believe that we must do everything in our power to help them."
At Nestlé, we believe that communities cannot thrive if they cannot offer a future for younger generation. As a global company, we are determined to help young people develop their skills so they can find jobs or create their own businesses.
We want to help equip the next generation for employment, to become creative frontrunners in our company, successful agripreneurs, entrepreneurs and game changers, regardless of their field or level of expertise.
It helps boost our business too because young people drive internal change in a company, keeping it dynamic and competitive. They are the farmers who will grow the raw materials that we need to make our products. They are the entrepreneurs who will help us reach out to new markets and segments. They are the innovators who will find the solutions to the business challenge of the future.
This is why we are expanding the 'Nestlé Needs YOUth' initiative that started five years ago to encompass our entire value chain, from operations and supply chain to agriculture and innovation.
Read the full press release (pdf, 230Kb)