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Case Study

Nestlé Health Science: Building a healthy future towards 2030

By Niccolò Pisani, Elham Pazirandeh-Micol, Karine Richard, Liudmila Ost and Quentin de Rham

14 pages

February 2025

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Reference: IMD-7-2636

The board of Nestlé S.A. announced that Anna Mohl would become the CEO of Nestlé Health Science (NHSc) — a global leader in nutritional science — on 1 January 2024. She was delighted to hear about her new position but knew there was little time to celebrate. The pressure was on her to make timely strategic decisions to navigate some operating challenges while future-proofing the business for years to come. As Anna sat at her desk and looked out the large window, she began reflecting on how NHSc had grown under her predecessor, Greg Behar, who was instrumental in expanding it into new markets and establishing it as a well-known player in nutritional health solutions. Anna’s dilemmas boiled down to four main questions: Should the company choose organic or inorganic growth? What about market expansion and exploring potential outside North America? How to ensure continued product innovation via research and development (R&D) and potential acquisitions? Finally, how best to align sustainability goals with financial performance? And, of course, expectations were high and a lot was at stake. Anna was aware that the journey ahead would not be easy, but she was ready to tackle the challenges head-on, steering the company towards long-term success.

Learning Objective

Analyze how external, macro-level phenomena can lead to strategic shifts and organizational transformation.
Assess strategic dilemmas on growth, market expansion, product innovation and sustainability in a multinational context.
Explore strategy in an environment characterized by a high degree of uncertainty.
Learn to think holistically about how to approach complex strategic issues.

Keywords

Strategy, General Management, Global Business, Chief Executive Officer, Transition, Growth, Market Expansion, Product Innovation, Sustainability, Pharmaceuticals

Settings

World/global, Switzerland
Nestlé Health Science, Healthcare, Health and Medical Services, Pharmaceuticals
2023-2024

Type

Field Research

Available Languages

English

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Teaching note

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