Wrigley names ex-Nike exec Perez as its president, CEO

The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company on October 23 announced the election of William D. Perez as president, chief executive officer and a member of the company's board of directors. Bill Wrigley Jr., who had been serving as chairman, president and CEO, has been elected to the new full-time role of executive chairman while also continuing his responsibilities as chairman of the board of directors. Both Bill Wrigley Jr. and Perez will report to the Wrigley board of directors.

Perez, 59, spent 34 years with SC Johnson, including eight years as president and CEO of the multi-billion-dollar privately held global consumer products company based in Racine, Wis. In 2004, he joined Nike Inc., where he served as president and CEO until earlier this year.

“The appointment of Perez to be the first person to serve as president and CEO of the Wrigley Company from outside the family is indeed an historic and important milestone for our Company," said Bill Wrigley Jr. "Bill is an exceptionally talented and well-qualified executive who honed his leadership skills in a highly successful, professionally managed, family-company environment. He is a terrific fit with our company and our culture and he has an impressive track record of building global brands, leading consumer-driven innovation and inspiring employees."

In his new role as executive chairman, Bill Wrigley Jr. will be actively engaged in the development of long-term strategy, continued emphasis on innovation and fostering a culture of high performance and generational growth. This new role also will give him an even greater opportunity to focus on key growth strategies that will drive the company's global leadership position.

"To continue to effectively drive our dynamic and highly competitive global company, I firmly believe this is the right time to divide the top leadership responsibilities between two people, particularly given today's commercial and governance climate," said Bill Wrigley Jr. "This approach will enable us to divide and conquer the many responsibilities inherent in running this organization and further leverage our many competitive advantages to build long-term value for our shareholders. Our entire board of directors wholeheartedly endorsed my recommendation to bring Bill on as CEO and I look forward to sharing a strong working partnership with him."

"This is a tremendous honor and opportunity for me," Perez said. "Wrigley's brands are known and loved around the world, the company's culture embodies the values of trust, dignity and respect which are important to me, and there's a long-term focus on growth and people development that underlies the company's success as a global leader. I look forward to partnering with Bill Wrigley, Jr. and working with the Wrigley leadership team to sustain this company's great track record well into the future.”