Audio and transcript from a recent conversation about aligning innovation activity with the C-suite of a company, with participants from tech, food and beverage, manufacturing, and financial services.
As part of our recent research, Successful Startup Engagement and Corporate Venture Capital, we spoke with Molun Zhang, Coca-Cola's R&D Senior Manager for Experimentation & External Technology. She gave insights on how to begin collaborating with startups; share Coca-Cola's strategy for tracking collaborations; and explained the power behind Coca-Cola's participation...
Angie McKenzie was part of the team that created Starbucks’ iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte, which launched in 2003. She spoke with us to share a few key lessons she learned from the project, and discussed challenges innovators in the food and beverage industries face today.
The company’s SVP of Global R&D talks about getting plant-based protein to an affordable price point; how the company is moving from focus groups to in-market testing; and why the $13 billion company hires “food designers” rather than food scientists.
Just a year after opening its innovation center, Inspire Brands — owner of Arby’s, Sonic, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, and Buffalo Wild Wings — launched the first multibrand “ghost kitchen” in Atlanta. InnoLead spoke with Vans Nelson, VP of Restaurant Operations, Innovation, and Profitability, about staying ahead of tech trends in...
R&D Vice President Judi Mondelllo talks about tasting new products in a hybrid world, the company’s academic relationships, and tuning in to what Milennials and Gen Z consumers want.
Dole, one of world’s largest fresh fruit and vegetable producers, is taking action to combat food inequality, climate change, and human rights issues. Dr. Lara Ramdin, Chief Innovation Officer, and Barbara Guerpillon, Global Head of Ventures, share how they are driving the company’s sustainability initiatives through open innovation.
Michele Sandoval, Director of Innovation at the winemaker E. & J. Gallo, says the past 18 months have been an interesting time for the wine and spirits industry, with consumers spending less time at social gatherings and in restaurants, more time at home, and unable to visit some of Gallo’s...
The Global SVP and Head of PepsioCo’s Demand Accelerator program discussed the efficacy of the Demand Accelerator, the specific data PepsiCo uses, consumer trends in the food and beverage industry, and more.
What mattered in innovation this week? InnoLead’s Scott Kirsner and Kaitlin Milliken join Derisk CEO Alex Slawsby to discuss. That includes some of the innovation news that you may have missed this week, and why it matters for innovators working in big organizations. In this installment: smart tires finally...
Mauro Porcini, PepsiCo’s first-ever Chief Design Officer, offers insight on the intersections of innovation and design, methods for getting to the root of customer needs.
Because food distribution was labeled an essential business, Tyson Foods never shut down any of its plants. Right at the start of the pandemic — as early as January — Scott Spradley and his team began analyzing data to predict how infection might spread within them.
In our “Accelerating Innovation During Times of Disruption” Master Class, Tim Bernstein and Stella Peace share insights on how to capitalize on 2020’s challenges to drive innovation.
In this Master Class, Samuel Gibbon of Patsnap discusses where VCs are investing in the food industry right now, what consumer trends have emerged as a result of the lockdown, and more.
The restaurant world is taking one of the hardest hits of any industry during the pandemic. What’s in store for the future? Dan Wheeler of Wahlburgers offers his take.
Ocean Spray is pivoting to health and wellness. Chief Innovation Officer Rizal Hamdallah explains how they launched three new brands amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
In this episode, we wanted to find out: “How is the CPG industry innovating to meet consumer demands?” Ranjani Varadan, VP of R&D at Impossible Foods, discusses how her team gets consumers to buy in to their future-forward vision. Jodi Benson explains why her team had customers write break-up letters to...
Hain Celestial Group, known for teas and pantry staples, has pivoted down a new path in response to COVID-19: hand sanitizer. The company is also conducting remote product tasting with its senior leaders. SVP of R&D Jeff George explains…
As the coronavirus pandemic spread, Wahlburgers SVP Dan Wheeler says it required careful thought about people’s safety, but it also “accelerated…my innovation agenda.”