DEERFIELD, ILL. — Robin Hargrove has been named executive vice-president, research, development and quality at Mondel?z International, effective April 1. He succeeds Jean Spence, who is retiring after nearly 35 years with the company. In his new role, Mr. Hargrove will be responsible for all product and packaging development, research, nutrition, quality, food safety and scientific affairs activities worldwide.
“Rob is an outstanding leader and business partner with passion, technical savvy and extensive experience in both developed and emerging markets,” said Mark Clouse, chief growth officer. “He will bring the voice of our consumers into the successful development of global innovation platforms. In addition, Rob is highly experienced in category-led operating models and in navigating through large global organizations. I’m confident he will have an immediate impact as we continue to innovate and drive productivity improvements in support of our growth journey.”
Mr. Hargrove most recently has been senior vice-president, R.D.&Q. for Mondel?z Europe since 2013. Prior to joining the company, he worked at PepsiCo, Inc. in various senior roles since 1994. He led Frito-Lay’s R.&D. activities in emerging Asian markets and Australia, their North America health and wellness snacks portfolio and PepsiCo Europe’s R.&D. portfolio, with a heavy emphasis on the developing Eastern European region, including Russia. He began his career with Procter & Gamble in the U.K. as a product developer in the laundry detergent category.
A native of Belfast, Northern Ireland, Mr. Hargrove received a master’s degree in chemical engineering from Imperial College, University of London.
