Lindt & Sprüngli said on Monday, 19 October, from Kilchberg, that Adalbert Lechner is leaving as CEO. The board wants new operational leadership, to return to consistent growth. Dieter Weisskopf, vice-chairman and group CEO until 2022, takes over as interim at once. A permanent appointment is expected in the second quarter of 2027. It has not been named.

The company gave no further details on the exit, dpa writes. Lechner, 65, has been with the group 33 years and CEO since 2022. Executive chairman Ernst Tanner thanked him for his contribution. SRF: after two revenue warnings in a year, the board drew a line. This is a governance notice, not a criminal file.

In the first half of 2026 prices rose, on average, by 11.8 percent, after expensive cocoa. Volumes sold fell. Germany, Switzerland and Britain reacted more sharply than expected. In summer Lindt cut prices on some products and shrank packs. In September it cut the outlook again: organic growth of 0–2 percent for 2026. Reuters also put the European heatwave in the tally.

Weisskopf, 71, was finance chief for years. Yahoo Finance, citing dpa: he will look for growth in Europe, brand investment, margin. North America and Asia are, in these texts, doing better. We have not turned a sales target into a crisis of all Swiss chocolate.

Germany and Austria change too, from 26 October: Michal Spiller, CEO Germany, leaves; Ali Kulein, now CEO Austria, succeeds him, subject to the local supervisory board. Fabian Reinhardt, head of global sales, moves to Austria. The board thanks Spiller for 23 years.

The CEO search is open. Weisskopf stays vice-chairman as well. Until Q2 2027, the interim is the rule in the statement, not a market result.

Image: Lindt & Sprüngli plant at Kilchberg, on Lake Zurich, 4 June 2010, Roland zh, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons. Not Monday’s announcement.

Sources consulted: Lindt & Sprüngli announces leadership changes — Ad-hoc EQS; Lindt CEO Lechner must leave with immediate effect — SRF.