R&D strategy & innovation management

Many food companies have more ideas than capacity, and more projects than launches. I help you decide where to play, set up a funnel that moves, and connect R&D to what the business and the consumer really need.

What I can do for you

  • Review of your R&D and innovation strategy against business goals
  • Set-up or reset of the innovation funnel (stage-gate, NPD, EPD and value engineering)
  • Portfolio and product-group management: prioritising projects and killing the right ones
  • Roadmaps for new categories, technologies and ingredient platforms
  • Corporate innovation and renovation processes that teams actually use

Questions I often help answer

  • Which projects deserve our limited R&D budget?
  • Why do so few projects make it to launch?
  • How do we balance new products, renovation and cost saving?

Relevant experience

I have led global R&D programmes at Unilever, built innovation and portfolio processes at Bunge Loders Croklaan, and headed central R&D for IFFCO, supporting more than 20 manufacturing units worldwide.