How do you approach managing legal aspects during periods of instability or crises, and how does your legal strategy align with the broader business strategy to ensure the organisation’s resilience?    

Watchword for in-house legal teams in times of uncertainty is flexibility. Remaining adaptable and flexible in the legal approach, as the business environment can rapidly evolve during periods of instability is truly key to be able to navigate the uncertainty. Moreover, we have developed a sound enterprise risk management strategy which allows the company to identify potential legal risks that may arise, especially during periods of instability or crises. Finally aligning legal strategy with business strategy is crucial for ensuring organizational resilience. Legal decisions should support the overall goals and objectives of the company, while also mitigating legal risks and protecting the company’s interests. 

What are the main cases or transactions that you have been involved in recently?   

In the last 12 months, Nestlé Italia’s legal team has been active on several very different issues involving corporate, litigation, regulatory, and IP aspects. In the corporate sector we have worked on a JV transactions for our pizza business as well as on the acquisition of Solgar Italia, a leading company in the distribution of food supplements. In the litigation field, we have been active in a series of claims by an international distributor and in the protection of the company’s intellectual property. 

Finally,a growing area of activity has been advising business stakeholders on ESG projects and initiatives which have become more and more central in the company’s overall strategy. 

How do you measure the impact of ESG initiatives on the company’s overall performance and reputation?   

Nestlé has engaged an external audit company to provide independent assurance of thirteen selected Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) key performance indicators (KPIs) of high strategic importance to its business. 

The Selected ESG KPIs reflect the most material issues to Nestlé business and stakeholders, including major corporate commitments and ESG performance measures that drive executive compensation. 

For the design of the Selected ESG KPIs, we considered voluntary reporting frameworks and standards such as the Global Reporting Initiative, the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board, and the World Economic Forum Stakeholder Capitalism Metrics. 

Nestlé reports the performance against the Selected ESG KPIs in its 2022 Creating Shared Value and Sustainability Report. 

Selected ESG KPI List include, as to Environment: greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions reductions and removals; water use reduction in factories; percentage of key ingredients produced sustainably; percentage of deforestation free for primary supply chain; Percentage of plastic packaging designed for recycling; percentage of virgin plastic reduction.  

In relation to Social, KPI list include the percentage of ingredients sourced through regenerative agriculture for environmental and number of servings of affordable nutrition with micronutrient fortification (MNF); number of young people around the world who access economic opportunities; women in the top 200+ senior executive positions.