Irene Rosenfeld is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods, the world's second largest food company with annual revenues of $42 billion. A 25+ year veteran of the food industry, Irene leads the company’s approximately 100,000 employees in making a delicious difference for millions of people in 150 countries around the globe.
When Irene returned to the company as CEO in June 2006, she promised a new Kraft Foods -- a company built on great people and iconic brands. A company that consistently delivered top-tier performance.
As Chairman and CEO, Irene has successfully led the company’s turnaround, putting the company on the path to sustainable, long-term growth. Her passion for consumers and focus on innovation has brought new life to iconic brands such as Kraft cheeses, dinners and dressings, Maxwell House coffees, Oscar Mayer meats, Oreo and LU biscuits, Philadelphia cream cheeses, Jacobs and Carte Noire coffees, Tang powdered beverages and Milka, Côte d'Or, Lacta and Toblerone chocolates.
Irene got her start at the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample ad agency in New York and then took on a role in consumer research at General Foods, which later became part of Kraft Foods. She advanced quickly, eventually leading the restructuring and turnaround of key businesses in the U.S., Canada and Mexico, successfully integrating Nabisco and helping spearhead Kraft Foods’ initial public offering.
Before returning to Kraft Foods, Irene was Chairman and CEO of Frito-Lay, a division of PepsiCo, from 2004 to 2006. She’s credited with leading Frito-Lay’s growth in better-for-you products and developing a new pipeline of health and wellness offerings.
Well known as a Kraft Mac & Cheese and Oreo fan, Irene also was rated #2 in the "Fortune" 50 Most Powerful Women in American Business list and is considered one of the most powerful woman in the world by "Forbes."
She holds a Ph.D. in Marketing and Statistics, a Master of Science in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology – all from Cornell University. She is active in a number of industry and civic organizations, including The Economic Club of Chicago, and she plays many sports. She sits on the Grocery Manufacturers Association Board of Directors and the Cornell University Board of Trustees.
About Irene