Wrigley appoints first president from outside family

The Wrigley Company has appointed its first president and chief executive from outside of the Wrigley family. William D Perez will take over the roles from Bill Wrigley immediately.

Wrigley will stay on as chairman of the board and take on the role of executive chairman. He will be responsible for developing long-term strategy and new growth.

Perez joined Wrigley earlier this year from Nike, where he had been president and chief executive since 2004. Prior to that he was with household goods giant SC Johnson for 34 years. His last role there was as president and chief executive, which he held for eight years.

Wrigley says: “The appointment of Bill Perez to be the first person to serve as president and chief executive of The Wrigley Company from outside the family is indeed a historic and important milestone for our company.”