Keurig Dr Pepper is bringing in a veteran of food and beverage product development to head its research and development.
Karin Rotem-Wildeman will become KDP’s chief research and development officer effective Jan. 9. She will replace David Thomas, who is retiring from KDP after 16 years.
Rotem-Wildeman started her career as a research engineer with Nestlé. She worked 18 years at PepsiCo, finishing as senior vice president for beverage regional R&D. Her most recent job was as chief scientific officer at Livekindly Collective, a startup for plant-based foods.
Rotem-Wildeman will report directly to KDP CEO Bob Gamgort, who said in a statement, “Karin is an accomplished R&D leader and CPG executive with a proven track record in concept-to-shelf innovation across multiple product categories. I look forward to working with her as we continue to deliver against our vision to meet every beverage need."