Nestle Exec Appointment Boosts Sales Operations

Nestlé Waters North America has named Tom Smith president, customer development and sales operations.

Formerly chief integration officer for Nestlé Business Excellence (NBE) in North America, Smith will oversee NWNA's sales operations in the U.S. He will serve as a member of the NWNA executive team and report to chief executive officer Fernando Mercé.

At NBE, Smith was responsible for leading the successful integration and implementation of a series of projects to standardize and streamline key services across the U.S. market. He brings to NWNA more than 30 years of sales experience, having held numerous management positions within the sales organizations of Nestlé companies. 

Before moving to NBE, Smith served as president of the Nestlé Walmart team, where he was the strategic leader and single point of contact with Walmart across all Nestlé companies. Additionally, he was president of Nestlé Business Services in North America and has held several other key roles.

"As America's number one beverage of choice, more and more consumers are choosing bottled water over carbonated soft drinks," said Smith. "I'm looking forward to leading the sales organization at NWNA and delivering profitable growth that drives the company's healthy hydration ambitions."

Smith replaces John Zupo, who is leaving to pursue opportunities outside the company.