Mubasher: Swiss food giant Nestle SA on Thursday has said that CEO for Asia, Oceania and Sub-Saharan Africa zone, known as Zone AOA, Wan Ling Martello will step down after two months, effective 31 December.

Chris Johnson, who is currently the group’s head human resources and business services, will succeed Martello, as of 1 January 2019, according to a statement.

On a related note, the firm’s board of directors also announced that Nestle Germany AG’s CEO Beatrice Guillame-Grabisch will take Johnson's place and Guillame-Grabisch will also join the board.

Earlier on Thursday, Nestle stated that its sales levelled up 2% year-on-year in the first nine months this year, to CHF 66.4 billion, from CHF 65.1 billion from January to September, led by growth in North America.