SLOUGH, UNITED KINGDOM: Reckitt today announced the appointment of Kris Licht as Chief Executive Officer to succeed Nicandro Durante.

Kris Licht will become CEO Designate as of 1 May and will immediately begin the transition to the CEO role, working alongside Nicandro Durante. Kris will be appointed to the Board as an Executive Director effective 1 June 2023 and will take over as CEO by the end of 2023.  Nicandro Durante will stay with Reckitt up to December 2023 to ensure a smooth transition, at which time he will step down from the Board.

Kris has served as President of Reckitt’s Health business and as Chief Customer Officer since July 2020. Prior to this, he served as Reckitt’s Chief Transformation Officer from November 2019 to July 2020. 

He has been pivotal in both setting the strategic direction of the company and returning Health to the strong growth trajectory that it is delivering today. He joined Reckitt from PepsiCo, where he held a variety of senior operational and strategic leadership positions. Prior to PepsiCo, he was a Partner at McKinsey & Co with a focus on the consumer, health and retail practices.

Chris Sinclair, Chairman of the Board, commented: “We conducted a thorough process to identify a new CEO and the Board and I are confident that Kris Licht is the right leader to take Reckitt forward, building on the strong momentum in the business after three years of successful transformation.

The Board came into this process knowing we had a strong bench of leadership talent and Kris was the outstanding candidate. Kris has been instrumental in Reckitt’s transformation through his strategic role and his strong operational leadership in the turnaround of our Health GBU over the last three years. He has a deep understanding of Reckitt’s business, customers, brands and culture.

He brings extensive experience and a broad range of skills to the role and is an excellent fit to lead Reckitt in the next exciting phase of its journey. On behalf of the Board, I’d like to thank Nicandro for the exceptional job he has done as CEO, and for working with Kris to ensure a seamless transition for all our stakeholders.”

Kris Licht commented: “It is an honour to have been appointed as the next CEO of Reckitt. Over the past four years I have been privileged to be a part of the transformation journey and have seen the extraordinary ownership, entrepreneurial spirit and drive for performance that our people demonstrate every day.

As our recent performance shows, it is clear we are delivering, and after significant investment we are well positioned to generate consistent, strong shareholder returns. While there is more work to be done to realise our full potential, I see strong momentum and believe it is truly an exciting time for Reckitt.”

Nicandro Durante, Chief Executive Officer, commented: “Reckitt is a truly exceptional company with strong brands operating in great categories, and a culture anchored on our values of own, create, deliver and care. Kris lives these values every day which, combined with his knowledge of the business, its customers and his success in turning around our Health GBU, makes him the right leader to take Reckitt to even greater heights. I have gladly committed to Kris and the Board that I will remain in place up to December 2023, and I look forward to working closely with Kris to deliver a seamless and uninterrupted transition.”

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