Bus 189 - Kraft Foods Inc Case Study

Irene B. Rosenfeld

Kraft Foods, Inc.

CEO Profile

Winnie Tran

BUS 189 MW 9-12:30PM

Executive's Background

Irene B. Rosenfeld holds a Ph.D. in Marketing and Statistics a Master of Science in Business, and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Cornell University. She is 57 years old and is the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Kraft Foods, Inc., which is the global powerhouse in snacks, confectionary, and quick meals. She became the CEO of Kraft Foods in June 2006 and became the Chairman in March 2007. Before joining Kraft Foods, she was working in consumer research for Dancer Fitzgerald Sample, and advertising agency. She was the Chairman and CEO of Frito-Lay from 2004 to 2006, and developed many health and wellness offerings. She then joined General Foods, which became part of Kraft Foods and led the restructuring of key businesses in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada (Kraft).

During Irene's 20+ years with Kraft Foods, she held a number of positions which include: President of North American Businesses, Group Vice President of Kraft Foods North America, President of Operations, Information Systems, and Technology of Kraft Foods in Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico, Executive Vice President and General Manager of Desserts and the Marketing Director of Beverages. Irene took part in integrating Nabisco and LU biscuit businesses with Kraft. She was also named one of the world's "100 Most Powerful Women" and Fortune ranked her No. 2 on its "50 Most Powerful Women in Business" list (Waller).

Irene's favorite Kraft product is Kraft's macaroni and cheese, and Oreos. Irene stated that she loves hearing why people love Kraft products and using feedback to develop new products and stronger relationships with consumers. She is a devoted and involved mother and does not believe that working mothers should aim for a perfect work-life balance, of 50/50 work and home life. Instead, she believes it is important to know when is the right time to make work a priority and when to make family a priority (Kraft).

Management Style

Irene is a driven individual who is always looking for opportunities to benefit her business. She is a competitive, high achiever. One executive describes Ms. Rosenfeld with the statement below:

She is the kind of person who would wait as long as it takes if she thinks the prize is right. She's incredibly smart, very decisive, very clear-thinking. She's not the sort of person you might think. She's not the Hollywood-casting, difficult chief