Team size: 15

Career Biography

Vera Kolesnik is a seasoned legal professional with over 20 years of experience in the legal field, currently serving as the Vice President Legal & Compliance for Nestlé Middle East and North Africa. Nestlé employs nearly 12,000 people across 19 countries in the region, operates 24 factories, and achieved annual sales of $2.8bn in 2024 in the region.

Her passion for law and compliance drives her to empower businesses to thrive by providing pre-emptive legal support while navigating the complexities of the legal environment.

Before her current role, Vera spent 18 years at Nestlé Russia, where she advanced from Senior Lawyer to Legal Director for Russia and Eurasia. Her extensive expertise has enabled the business to effectively navigate complex legal landscapes, offering strategic guidance that supports business objectives while ensuring compliance with local and international laws.

Vera began her legal journey as a Senior Attorney at Ernst & Young. She also served as a Research Fellow at the Institute of State and Law Russian Academy of Science (IGPAN).

She holds a Ph.D. in International and EU Law from the Institute of State and Law Russian Academy of Science (IGPAN), a Master’s Degree from the Moscow Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), and has studied Public International Law at the Hague Academy of International Law.

What are the key projects that you have been involved in over the past 12 months?

I supported the construction project of the first Nestlé food factory in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, with an estimated investment of 270m Riyals – set to open in 2026. This project is part of the nearly $1.9bn investment that we announced in 2022.

I established the legal framework for the partnership with Dubai AI Campus that aims to anticipate consumer trends and shape the future of the Food & Beverage industry.

I developed and implemented an anti-counterfeit strategy for the MENA region, with the primary focus shifted from seizing counterfeited goods in the market to identifying and disrupting the sources such as manufacturing hubs or storage warehouses of counterfeit goods, to interrupt illicit supply lines.

I streamlined the legal function to reduce redundancies and enhance efficiency, by moving tactical and low value adding operations from the regional legal team to Nestle business service center.

I am continuing to grow the maturity of the Compliance Program, with a roll out of AML and ABAC policies.