Lindt & Sprüngli Ousts CEO Adalbert Lechner as Growth Slows

Swiss chocolate maker Lindt & Sprüngli has ousted CEO Adalbert Lechner as the Ghirardelli owner fights slowing growth and volatile cocoa costs.

Dieter Weisskopf, vice-chairman of the board and the company's CEO until 2022, will take the top post on an interim basis. The company expects to name a permanent successor in the second quarter of 2027, according to the announcement.

Why did the board act now?

The board concluded that new leadership was needed to "return to consistent, strong growth and to capture opportunities in all its markets globally," the company said. Lindt & Sprüngli also made leadership changes in Germany and Austria, two markets where it has faced recent challenges.

The Swiss-headquartered company has cut its outlook twice this year. Last month, it blamed lower-than-expected order volumes in Germany, Switzerland and Austria for the lowered guidance.

The numbers behind the decision are stark. Lindt & Sprüngli now forecasts organic sales growth of flat to up 2% for the year. Its initial target was 6% to 8%. That is a reduction of at least four percentage points in a single year.

What pressures forced the change?

Two forces have squeezed the premium chocolate maker. Consumers have pulled back on spending amid economic uncertainty. At the same time, volatile cocoa prices have increased the company's costs, compressing margins on its premium products.

The company's portfolio spans the Lindt and Ghirardelli brands alongside other chocolate offerings. Its premium positioning, normally a pricing asset, has become a vulnerability as shoppers trade down and input costs climb.

What did Weisskopf promise?

The returning chief laid out his mandate in a statement. "We will invest significantly in our brands while improving our profitability," Weisskopf said. "My task is to hand over to the next CEO a company with renewed momentum."

Weisskopf knows the role. He ran the company until 2022 before moving to vice-chairman of the board. His interim appointment gives the board a tested operator while it conducts a search expected to stretch into the second quarter of 2027 — a notably long runway for a leadership transition at a major consumer goods firm.

What happens next?

The timeline matters for the turnaround. With a permanent CEO unlikely to arrive before mid-2027, Weisskopf's interim decisions on brand investment and profitability will shape the company's trajectory for well over a year.

The German and Austrian leadership changes signal where the board sees the most acute problems. Last month's guidance cut traced directly to weak order volumes in those markets plus Switzerland, and the restructuring suggests the board holds regional execution partly responsible for the miss.

For a company that built its reputation on consistent premium growth, returning to its original 6% to 8% trajectory under new leadership is the explicit test the board has now set.