Nestlé CEO Attributes Sharpness to Gen Z Staff and 8 Daily Coffees

The head of the $259 billion Swiss food giant disclosed that he consumes seven to eight cups of coffee each day.

“Just black. Sometimes with a KitKat,” Navratil recently shared with the New York Times. His coffee habit has become so ingrained in his workday that he refers to an espresso as “a snack for me,” and notes that he hasn’t set any limit on his caffeine consumption.

While he, as a Gen Xer, relies on coffee to energize his substantial company turnaround efforts—drinking nearly three times the average American’s intake of two to three cups daily—he finds himself continually challenged by his Gen Z colleagues, who encourage him to adapt and grow. Otherwise, he feels he might as well leave the organization.

According to Navratil, the youngest employees have instilled in him the value of “learning constantly.” He expressed to the Times: “When you stop learning, then it is the moment to move on to another job.”

Navratil is part of a growing number of business leaders, including executives from Colgate-Palmolive and Stripe, who recognize that Gen Z employees are driving them to improve. Executives reject the stereotype that young digital natives are unmotivated and overly demanding. Instead, they find that Gen Z is entering the workforce with innovative ideas and a willingness to redefine the workplace.

Nestlé did not respond immediately to Fortune’s request for comment.

Navratil’s Rise to the Top of the Food and Beverage World

While the idea of consuming eight cups of coffee daily might seem overwhelming to some, caffeine has been central to Navratil’s career progression.

Navratil ascended to his current position last September, having dedicated his entire two-decade career to Nestlé. After earning his MBA in Switzerland in 2001, he joined the company as an auditor. Over the next 23 years, he held various leadership roles across Panama, Honduras, and Mexico before becoming the CEO at Nespresso in 2024. Just a year later, he took the helm of the entire Nestlé portfolio, which features beloved brands like KitKat, Nescafé, and Gerber.

After experiencing years of sluggish sales, the company’s stock price is currently hovering around half of its peak from 2022. Just last February, Nestlé reported its weakest annual organic sales growth in over 25 years, a trend attributed to a reduction in consumer spending. For the first nine months of 2025, Nestlé’s sales declined by 1.9%, totaling approximately $82.8 billion compared to the same period in 2024.

The underwhelming results led Navratil to make some difficult choices. Within a month of his appointment, Nestlé announced plans to eliminate 12,000 white-collar positions and 4,000 roles in manufacturing and supply chains, resulting in a 6% reduction in its global workforce over the next two years. In its statement, the company noted that certain office roles would be automated as it strives for “operational efficiency.”

“This new way of operating will obviously require fewer people, but it will also accelerate the company,” Navratil explained to the New York Times. “It will focus on how we can leverage AI to expand our growth, enhance decision-making, and optimize the supply chain to reduce surplus inventory and waste.”

Gen Z Employees Are Pushing Their Bosses to ‘Do Things Differently’

Navratil is not alone in acknowledging the contributions of younger employees in the workplace.

The chief human resources officer at the $76 billion enterprise Colgate-Palmolive, Sally Massey, debunked the notion that Gen Z is solely chaotic in the workplace.

Massey praised her younger employees for their ambition and technological proficiency—qualities that her traditional company desperately needs. To harness their skills, the organization’s senior leadership is actively engaging with entry-level workers to share ideas across generations, creating a comprehensive action plan for future progress.

“[Gen Zers] have grown up with technology. They’ve experienced a very different upbringing compared to other generations,” Massey remarked to Fortune. “They introduce new ideas, fresh perspectives, and curiosity, pushing us to improve and innovate—and I think that’s fantastic.”

Emily Glassberg Sands, Stripe’s head of data and AI, also highlighted her commitment to hiring fresh graduates at the $106.7 billion financial services firm. She pointed out Gen Z’s technological savvy and their ability to elevate business objectives.

“I’m actually hiring more new grads—primarily new grad PhDs—than ever before,” Glassberg Sands stated on the Forward Future podcast last year. “They possess cutting-edge skills and come equipped with fresh ideas, along with the ability to think critically and utilize the latest tools.”