Vice President/Research And Development-Food/Beverage

VICE PRESIDENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

Research & Innovation Organizational Leadership Program Management Policy & Procedure Development

Presentation & Public Speaking Strategic Planning &Partnerships Talent Development

QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY

Astute, performance-driven, and results-oriented executive, with extensive leadership experience across multinational and Fortune 500 companies. Successful in strategy planning, execution, innovation, and business support services within fast-paced and high-pressure environments. Interested in pursuing a challenging and rewarding career within R&D management firms to utilize skills and knowledge in a variety of food and beverages research, manufacturing, agro, nutrition and production functions. Self-motivated and focused; comfortable at working independently within competitive settings and able to apply innovative methods, procedures, and systems in solving problems.

Proven track record in strategic business transformation; corporate restructuring; performance improvement; mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; system implementations; and customer and product strategy.

Excellent ability in driving innovation creating, and implementing new product design.

Recognition for pioneering process improvement strategies and in-depth business knowledge.

Adeptness in participating and providing support in the development of R&D approaches.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

CONFIDENTIAL, PLANO, TX, USA

Director | Healthy Snacking 2010–Present

Provide expert leadership and direction to the transformation innovation and business expansion in order to identify and address the needs of underserved cohorts, such as children and families, and core product adjacencies. Effectively manage a team that leverages science and technology unlocks in the areas of fruits, vegetables, and whole food nutrition and that integrates solutions to develop differentiated, consumer-winning propositions.

Played a pivotal role in providing and honing knowledge of ingredients, raw materials, and concepts for the new PepsiCo GNG.

Functioned as a concept lead for F&V COE.

Established and secured proprietary and supply chain commercial partnerships, which currently serve as a major work stream for the Fruit and Vegetable GNG Applications Team.

Analyzed, planned, and developed POV for PEP superfruit strategy.

Spearheaded the development and integration of external partners into the Global Nutrition Platform.

Conducted thorough research and analysis to provide solutions for all natural ingredients in edible bars.

Director | PepsiCo Fruit & Vegetable Research Center 2006–2010

Oversaw the daily operation of a global fruit and vegetable research center and imparted knowledge in implementing new fruit and vegetable platforms and building synergies with PepsiCo’s beverage divisions. Proposed strategies in leveraging PepsiCo’s health and wellness initiatives. Utilized fundamental and applied research approaches to obtain a strong grasp of the processes encompassing agronomic and genetic factors impacting the quality of fruit and vegetables, pre- and post-harvest physiology and handling, cultivar development and selections, as well as functional performance of ingredients and processing. Developed and demonstrated profound knowledge of optimum processes and technologies enabling year-round manufacturing of value-added, convenient, and healthy food and beverage products.

Set and implemented mission and goals of the new center; drove expansion of organizational capability and business growth by providing research direction and strategy that gained cross-functional alignment for execution.

Led the fruit and vegetable raw materials/ingredients knowledge development and establishment of supply chain partners for Flat Earth, True North, and pipeline products.

Launched and operated two research center locations, the ingredients/raw material processing in Plano, Texas and the agro/breeding and genetics in Rhinelander, Wisconsin.

Designed and maintained company-wide IT infrastructure for data, knowledge, and information sharing (PepsiCofruitveggie.com).

Developed company-wide cross-divisional network between research and development teams while creating global research seminar series to cultivate R&D expertise.

Granted and managed more than $1M external funding for collaborative external research projects and programs.

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE (USDA)

AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH SERVICE, SOUTHERN REGIONAL RESEARCH CENTER, NEW ORLEANS, LA, USA

Lead Research Scientist, GS-15/08 1998–2006

Worked closely with various scientists and industry partners as group leader of the new fresh-cut fruit program. Effectively led research on all physiological, biochemical, and structure/function processes in flavor generation, and loss and textural changes. Planned, created, and implemented innovative methods to enhance sensory quality and shelf life of fresh-cut fruits. Presented and proposed program modifications and prepared annual reports.

Initiated research that was instrumental in driving the niche cut fruit industry from less than $1B to over $5B nationwide through newly developed technologies, maximized product shelf life by more than30% and were adopted by Fortune 500 companies.

Managed the execution of USDA research priorities for the emerging fresh-cut fruit industry while supervising a team of 12 scientists.

Consistently earned outstanding performance award annually.

Gained national recognition for new program as well as authored and modified several peer-reviewed publications while establishing relationships with stakeholders, universities, and institutions.

EARLIER CAREER

FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY, TALLAHASSEE, FL, USA

Professor of Agricultural Sciences and Director, Viticulture and Small Farm Development Center

NUTRACEUTICALS, INC., DEER PARK, NY, USA

Consultant

EDUCATION

Doctor of Philosophy in Food Science (PhD)

UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS, LEEDS, ENGLAND

Bachelor of Science in Chemistry/Mathematics

UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, LAGOS, NIGERIA

Graduated with Honors

PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

R&D Leadership College, Frito-Lay, 2007

Leadership Growth Training, Growth Dynamics Inc., Washington, DC, USA, 2002

USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Leadership Training Program, 2002

Congressional Briefing Conference, Georgetown University, 2001

EEO Leadership Conference, Federal Executive Board, 2001

IFT Leadership Conference, IFT, 2000

Food Laws and Regulations, IFT, FDA, and USDA, 1998

Patenting, Licensing, and Technology Transfer for Inventors and Administrators, Federal Information Exchange, 1998

Federal Grant and Contract Administration, Federal Information Exchange, 1998

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS AND ACTIVITIES

Fellow, Institute of Food Technologists, 2007 – Present

Member,, Editorial Board, Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food SafetyJournal,2007-Present

Member, Editorial Board, Journal of Food, Agriculture, and Environment, 1999-Present

Regional Editor, Journal of Food, Agriculture, and Environment, 2005–2006

President, Sigma Xi Honor Society, New Orleans Chapter, 2004–2005

Member, Institute of Food Technologists Management Committee, 2006

Chair, Institute of Food Technologists, National Committee on Diversity, 2006

Chair, Institute of Food Technologists, Louisiana Gulf Coast Division, 2000

Chair, Institute of Food Technologists, Scholarship Jury, 2010

Chair, American Chemical Society, Louisiana Section, Budget and Audit Committee, 2000 – 2004

Member, USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Research Position Evaluation Committee, 2000–2006

Honorary Professor, Northwestern Agricultural University, Yangling, China, 1996–2000

Consultant, Menoufia Grape Project B-416, University of Menoufia, Shebin El-Kom, Egypt, 1995–1997

AWARDS AND HONORS

Harman Lay Inspiring Wellness Award (Healthy Snacking Category), Frito-Lay, 2008

Outstanding Performance Award, USDA Agricultural Research Service (ARS), 2000–2005

More than $4.5 M in Research Grants, 1990 – 1999

Research Award, Middle States African Studies Association, 2001

Superior Accomplishment Award (Most Outstanding Faculty Member), Florida A&M University, 1995

Outstanding Program Development Award, Florida A&M University, College of Engineering Sciences, Technology, and Agriculture, 1993

Outstanding Contributions Award, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, 1990

Outstanding Achievement and Performance Award, Florida A&M University, 1990

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