Longtime Nestle executive returning to company as another retires

A longtime Nestle executive is returning to the multinational food and drink processing corporation with the retirement of a 30-year company veteran.

Stephanie Pullings Hart will return to Nestle as the deputy head of operations on July 1 and take over as head of operations on Jan. 1, 2024. Magdi Batato, executive vice president and head of operations, is retiring in 2024 after more than 30 years with Nestle.

Batato has held various roles against three continents and is currently responsible for the operations of hundreds of Nestlé factories across the globe. He oversees Nestlé’s procurement and logistics areas and leads Nestlé’s sustainability work.

Hart, currently senior vice president of operations for Warby Parker, left Nestle in 2018 after a 23-year career with roles in manufacturing, factory management, supply chain, research and development and human resources. She also served as senior vice president of global operations for Beyond Meat.

“On behalf of our board of directors and our executive board, I would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to Magdi for his many contributions to Nestlé. We wish him all the best for this next chapter,” Nestle CEO Mark Schneider said in a news release. “At the same time, we are delighted that Stephanie is returning to Nestlé.

“With her appointment, we are gaining a highly qualified leader with extensive experience across all areas of operations, and a proven track record in growing businesses. Her highly entrepreneurial and digital experience combined with her knowledge of Nestlé make her the ideal leader to take us forward.”