The Business On... Irene Rosenfeld, CEO, Kraft Foods
Friday 08 October 2010
Related articles
Ah, the corporate raider.
Get over it. So Kraft wasn't a particularly popular buyer of Cadbury, but the deal was agreed by shareholders and Ms Rosenfeld is now in charge.
Fair enough, I suppose Kraft's victory was inevitable.
Indeed, Cadbury was always going to find it difficult to escape the clutches of the world's second most powerful woman, as Forbes magazine rated Ms Rosenfeld yesterday.
Only second?
Apparently, someone called Michelle Obama wields marginally more power than the Kraft boss. Let's hope she doesn't take a fancy to Britain's national heritage too.
So how is Ms Rosenfeld getting on with her new toy?
A good time to ask – she made her first visit to the famous Bournville factory in Birmingham yesterday and conducted a Q&A with staff.
So all is sweetness and light?
Well the unions are a little affronted that she didn't make time specifically for them and there have been a few moans about her sneaking into Birmingham while most people were preoccupied by the Conservative Party conference. But the heat seems to have gone out of the argument.
At least she came.
Exactly. It's fair to say that MPs on the House of Commons business committee were less than impressed when she turned down an invite to attend their hearings on the Cadbury deal. This is the first chance most staff have had to meet the new boss.
So what is she like?
"Low-key" is the description that everyone seems to go for, though much more human than manybusiness leaders. Academically gifted, she stood out at Cornell University, her alma mata, but she was also a student basketball star until she broke her leg. These days she's more likely to be found on the tennis courts, or rollerblading.
The secret of her success?
A healthy intake of Kraft's products: she lists "Macaroni & Cheese" as her favourite and chews Trident gum.
From the blogs
“I’m not going to do ANYTHING for you”
Time for the monthly treat from David Hayes, who writes about British politics for the Australian In...
Dish of the Day: Could new brews win over craft beer drinkers?
Cask ale brewers don’t come much bigger than Marston’s. In fact the brewery, which also owns thousan...
Nadine Dorries’s new business: an engineering consultancy that has become a media consultancy
Nadine Dorries talks freely about many things, but not whether she was paid to go on I'm a Cleberity...
Children’s Books: Recommended read – ‘A Monster Calls’ by Patrick Ness
Thirteen-year-old Conor awakes in bed one night to discover that the yew tree outside his house has ...
- 1 Freedom fighters? Cannibals? The truth about Syria’s rebels
- 2 Breaking the Silence: In the reality of occupation, there are no Palestinian civilians – only potential terrorists
- 3 Special Report: US troops are stationed in Japan to protect the nation. But to sex workers in Okinawa, they bring fear, not security
- 4 Vice pulls 'breathtakingly tasteless' fashion shoot glorifying the suicides of famous female authors from Sylvia Plath to Virginia Woolf
- 5 Iran to send 4,000 troops to aid President Assad forces in Syria
Get your summer started with British Military Fitness
BMF is the UK’s biggest and best loved outdoor fitness classes
How will you make today delicious?
Tell us how you plan to make today delicious and you could win a £50 M&S gift card.
Learn a new language
Add another string to your bow with Rosetta Stone, whether it's Spanish, Italian or Mandarin...
Making reading fun for kids
Nook is donating eReaders to volunteers at high-need schools and participating in exclusive events throughout the campaign.
Introducing the 'Get Reading' campaign
Get the latest on The Evening Standard's campaign to get London's children reading.
Enter the latest Independent competitions
Win anything from gadgets to five-star holidays on our competitions and offers page.
Business videos from commercial thought leaders
Watch the best in the business world give their insights into the world of business.
iJobs People
Management Consultant
In the region of £60,000: Kinapse Limited: Kinapse Limited, a London-based lif...
Day In a Page
First night: The Cripple of Inishmaan
Scandi-geeks descend on Nordicana for fan-convention
Female aristocrats battle to inherit the title



Comments