Press Release
Refresco Appoints Steve Presley as CEO
Rotterdam, The Netherlands, July 23, 2025 – Refresco, the global independent beverage solutions provider, announces that Steve Presley has been appointed as the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, effective August 4, 2025. Steve will also join Refresco’s Executive Board.
Steve is a transformative leader with a strong track record of delivering accelerated growth and substantial value creation. With nearly 30 years of experience at Nestlé, a global food and beverage company, Steve fostered a high-performance, results-driven culture that empowered teams and propelled organizational success across complex, global operations.
Throughout his tenure at Nestlé, Steve held a series of roles of increasing responsibility spanning executive leadership, operations, manufacturing, corporate strategy and finance, providing him a comprehensive perspective on end-to-end business performance. Most recently, he served as Nestlé’s Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Zone Americas, overseeing the company's North America and Latin America operations from corporate headquarters in Switzerland. In this role, he managed over 100,000 employees across 24 countries and a network of over 120 manufacturing and distribution facilities across 20 product categories.
James Cunningham, Partner of KKR and Chairman of the Refresco Supervisory Board, stated:
“I am excited to welcome Steve as Refresco’s new CEO and as a member of the Executive Board. Steve’s wealth of experience, strong relationships with retailers and brands, and leadership of large-scale international operations for a global beverage and food company will be tremendous assets to the Company. Steve’s entrepreneurial spirit, together with his deep operational and financial expertise and ability to understand our customers’ needs, will greatly benefit Refresco as it continues to deliver best-in-class beverage solutions around the world.”
Steve Presley, Incoming Chief Executive Officer of Refresco, said:
“Refresco has built a strong reputation as a global leader in the beverage solutions industry, with a clear focus on delivering value and quality for its customers. I look forward to building on this solid foundation and contributing to the next phase of growth. By focusing on innovation and adapting to the evolving needs of customers and market demands, I am confident we can further strengthen Refresco’s value proposition and create new opportunities for success. I look forward to working closely alongside the talented team at Refresco across the world.”
About Steve Presley
Steve Presley is an accomplished senior executive with more than three decades of experience in the food and beverage industry. Over a distinguished 28-year career at Nestlé, he held a series of senior leadership roles, and most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Zone Americas (2025), representing the company’s Latin America and North America operations. Prior roles included Nestlé Executive Board member (2021–2025), Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé North America (2022-2025), Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Nestlé USA (2018-2022) and Chief Financial Officer of Nestlé USA (2013-2018).
In addition to his corporate responsibilities, Steve has held senior leadership roles at industry organizations. He currently serves as Ex Chair of the Supplier Committee for the Food Manufacturing Institute and chairs the Global Leadership Council Advisory Board for the University of South Florida.
Steve began his career at Nestlé in 1997 as Factory Controller for the Beverage Division, following financial roles at The Hershey Company. He holds a Bachelor of Accounting from the University of South Florida and is a Certified Public Accountant (State of Tennessee).
About Refresco
Refresco is the global independent beverage solutions provider for Global, National and Emerging brands, and retailers, with production in Europe, North America, and Australia. Refresco offers an extensive range of product and packaging combinations from carbonated soft drinks, juices, RTD teas and mineral waters to energy drinks, sports drinks and plant-based beverages in carton, (Aseptic) PET, cans and glass. Refresco continuously searches for new and alternative ways to improve the quality of its products and packaging combinations in line with consumer and customer demand, environmental responsibilities, and market demand. Refresco is headquartered in Rotterdam, the Netherlands and has more than 14,000 employees. For more information, please visit www.refresco.com
Media Contacts
Refresco Corporate Communications
Hendrik de Wit
+31 6 1586 1311
hendrik.dewit@refresco.com
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