Irene Rosenfeld facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Irene Rosenfeld
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Rosenfeld in 2009
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Irene Blecker
May 3, 1953 Westbury, New York, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Cornell University |
| Occupation | Former chairman and CEO of Mondelēz International |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Successor | Dirk Van de Put |
| Spouse(s) | Richard Illgen |
| Children | 2 daughters |
Irene Blecker Rosenfeld (born May 3, 1953) is an American businesswoman. She used to be the top boss, called the chairman and CEO, of Mondelēz International. This big company makes many popular snacks. Irene Rosenfeld started her career at an advertising agency. Later, she worked in consumer research for General Foods. She also led Frito-Lay as its CEO and chairwoman.
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Early Life and Education
Irene Rosenfeld was born on May 3, 1953, in Westbury, New York. Her parents were Seymour and Joan Blecker. She also has a younger sister named Linda. Her family background includes Jewish roots from Romania and Germany.
Irene went to W. Tresper Clarke High School in Westbury. She then studied at Cornell University. There, she earned a bachelor's degree in psychology. She also got a master's degree in business and a PhD in marketing and statistics. While at Cornell, she was very good at sports. She played basketball, volleyball, and tennis. She often led her teams as captain. She says this helped her learn important leadership skills.
Career in the Food Industry
Irene Rosenfeld has worked in the food and drink business for about 30 years. Her first job was at an advertising agency in New York City. After that, she joined General Foods. She worked in their consumer research department.
Leading Frito-Lay
In 2004, Irene Rosenfeld became the chairwoman and CEO of Frito-Lay. This company is part of PepsiCo. At Frito-Lay, she focused on making their products more popular.
Time at Kraft Foods
In June 2006, Rosenfeld was chosen to be the CEO of Kraft Foods. General Foods, where she had worked before, later became part of Kraft. She helped to reorganize and improve important parts of the business. This included operations in the United States, Canada, and Moscow. In March 2007, she also became the chairman of Kraft.
Recognized for Her Work
Irene Rosenfeld has received many honors for her business leadership. In 2008, The Wall Street Journal named her one of the "50 Women to Watch." Forbes magazine also listed her many times as one of the 100 most powerful women in the world. In 2014, she was ranked 15th on this list.
Creating Mondelēz International
In August 2011, Kraft Foods announced a big plan. They decided to split into two separate public companies. One company would focus on international snack brands. These included popular items like Trident gum and Oreo cookies. The other company would handle the North American grocery business. This part included products like Maxwell House coffee and Oscar Mayer meats.
On December 5, 2011, Kraft announced more details. Irene Rosenfeld would stay on as chairman of the global snacking company. This new company was named Mondelēz International, Inc.
Retirement
In August 2017, Mondelēz announced that Irene Rosenfeld would retire. Dirk Van de Put took over her role as CEO in November 2017.
