Vevey, September 28, 2004 - Nestlé SA announces that Mr Michael W. O. Garrett, Executive Vice President and head of Zone Asia, Oceania and Africa, will retire from the Company at the end of April 2005 after a very long and distinguished career spanning 44 years. Mr Garrett started working for Nestlé as a marketing trainee in the UK and was subsequently assigned ever more important functions in Asia and Oceania. In 1993 he was named Executive Vice President, assuming responsibility for the fast-growing Zone Asia/Oceania. Since 1996, his responsibility was expanded to include Africa and the Middle East.
In its meeting of last week, the Board of Directors of Nestlé decided to name Mr Frits van Dijk, presently Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Waters, as head of Zone AOA, from May 1st 2005. Mr van Dijk joined Nestlé in 1970 and spent most of his career in Nestlé's Asian markets. In September 1999, he took over as Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé Waters. He has been a member of the Nestlé Executive Board since 2002.