Executive Searches
Vice President, Culinary & Innovation
Specialty Bakery
POSITION SUMMARY
The Vice President of Culinary & Innovation will report to the Chief Commercial Officer and lead enterprise-wide innovation, R&D and commercialization strategy across a growing portfolio of bakery businesses. This executive will define the innovation agenda, establish scalable product development processes and drive the creation and launch of differentiated products aligned with consumer trends, customer needs and growth objectives. The role carries significant enterprise impact through transformation of the organization from a reactive development model to a proactive, insight-driven innovation platform, while supporting acquisition integration and strengthening commercial partnerships across the business.
The ideal candidate brings 15+ years of progressive leadership experience across culinary innovation, R&D, product development and commercialization within the food industry, with strong exposure to bakery, snacks, desserts or related categories. This leader combines culinary creativity and technical food science expertise with a proven track record of developing innovation strategies, commercializing new products and building high-performing teams. Experience implementing stage-gate processes, harmonizing innovation capabilities across multiple business units and partnering directly with customers is essential, along with a collaborative leadership style that balances strategic vision with hands-on execution.
