Reckitt Benckiser confirmed today that Kris Licht will assume the role of Chief Executive on 1 October.
When his appointment was announced back in April, the consumer goods giant said he would succeed interim boss Nicandro Durante “by the end of the year” after a transition period.
Durante temporarily took over the role when Laxman Narasimhan left Reckitt in September 2022 to become CEO of the coffee chain Starbucks.
Reckitt said today that Nicandro will stay with the business until 31 December 2023 to ensure a smooth transition, at which time he will step down from the Board.
Licht has served as President of Reckitt’s Health business and as Chief Customer Officer since July 2020. He joined the British company from PepsiCo, where he held a variety of senior operational and strategic leadership positions.
Earlier this month, Reckitt announced that its Chief Financial Officer, Jeff Carr, will retire at the end of March 2024 and be replaced by Shannon Eisenhardt, an executive from NIKE.
In the first half of 2023, Reckitt saw its like-for-like sales climb 6.0%, with each of its three business units delivering growth.
The results were lifted by price / mix improvements of 10.4% to counter higher operating and raw material costs. Volume declined 4.4% as some shoppers switched to cheaper alternatives, although the group noted that it had continued to see improving trends from previous quarters, with a recovery expected in the second half of the year.
