Bio: Irene Rosenfeld

Irene Rosenfeld wanted to become nothing less than the president of the United States when she was young. Some five decades later, even though she didn’t get the ultimate job, Rosenfeld did become one of the most powerful women in corporate America, as the chairman and CEO of Kraft Foods.

Rosenfeld is a food industry veteran and spent 26 years at the food company before being named CEO in March 2007. She has had a long track record in reviving brands facing near-deaths, like Kool-Aid and Jell-O with sugar-free snack cups.

The Long Island native rose through the ranks. Among her many accomplishments, she led the restructuring and turnaround of key businesses in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and the highly successful integration of the Nabisco brand. Rosenfeld began her career at the Dancer Fitzgerald Sample advertising agency in New York and then moved to General Foods in consumer research.

She is active in a number of industry and community organizations, including The Economic Club of Chicago. She also serves on the board of directors for the Grocery Manufacturers Association and the Cornell University board of trustees.

She holds a Ph.D. in marketing and statistics, a Master of Science in business administration, and a bachelor of arts in pPsychology from Cornell University.