Benecol-maker Raisio has announced the appointment of Reetta Kivelä as its chief innovation officer and member of its executive committee, effective 14 August 2023.
Kivelä, a food innovator and Doctor of Science in food technology, will be responsible for leading Raisio’s research and product development divisions.
The creation of the new executive committee position will strengthen the role of innovation in the Raisio Group, the company noted.
Pekka Kuusniemi, CEO of Raisio said, "Raisio’s competitive success requires a strong investment in differentiating innovation, and Reetta Kivelä’s undisputed expertise and strong track record will help fuel our international growth. The roles of research and product development in our megatrend-driven strategy will be further emphasised."
An Accomplished Professional
Kivelä is known for her work on the development of a sustainable food chain in both startups and academia.
Currently, she serves as chief innovation officer of Nordic Umami Company, which she co-founded, and professor of practice at the University of Helsinki.
She has been involved in creating an innovation platform on sustainable food systems for researchers and students at the University of Helsinki.
Commenting on her new role, Kivelä said, "Raisio has proven to be a true pioneer in sustainable food, and I believe that the three pillars of its strategy – oats, plant stanols and plant proteins – have a lot of potential that we can tap into to accelerate the transformation of the food system. Raisio’s purpose and strategy appealed to me greatly when the opportunity to work on innovation presented itself."
© 2023 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest A-Brands news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
