Craig Slavtcheff was named Vice President & Head of Global Research & Development (R&D) in September 2018. Craig reports to Mark Clouse, President & Chief Executive Officer. He is a member of the Campbell Leadership Team.
Craig leads Campbell’s R&D function, including strategy, product development for all divisions, as well as Campbell’s regulatory, nutrition, innovation and culinary teams.
Since joining Campbell in 2012, Craig has led his teams to combine culinary inspiration with product and packaging technology to develop innovations that appeal to consumers’ desire for delicious, affordable, real foods. Under his leadership, the Global Biscuit and Snacks Division posted category beating growth rates, and nearly doubled the % of net sales through innovation over a 3-year average. His International teams developed emerging market innovations based off of such brand icons as Arnott’s Tim Tam.
Craig joined Campbell as Vice President-Science and Technology, Global R&D, in 2012. He was named Vice President-R&D, Global Biscuits and Snacks and International Soup, Sauce, and Beverage, in 2015, and was promoted to Head of R&D in 2018.
Previously, he was Senior Vice President of R&D and Quality Assurance with The Sun Products Corporation, a North American private equity held detergent manufacturer that was later acquired by Henkle. As part of the corporate leadership team, he created and delivered the company’s innovation strategy and oversaw the quality assurance function including five manufacturing plants, suppliers, and co-packers.
Before that, Craig spent 16 years at Unilever in global and regional roles, including an international assignment in Tokyo as Vice President of R&D for Asia running labs in India, Thailand, Japan, and China, and culminating with his role as Vice President of R&D, Home and Personal Care, in North America. He started his career as a Staff Scientist with Procter & Gamble in the Richardson Vicks division.
He served on the Board of Trustees and as an Executive Committee member for the American Institute of Baking (2013– 2019). Previously, he served as a board member and executive team member with The American Cleaning Institute, and a board member on the Industrial Advisory Board of The University of Connecticut's chemical engineering department.
Craig has been named as an inventor in more than 80 US and global patents, covering a wide range of product categories, many of which protected key innovations that generated growth platforms for the businesses he supported.
Craig earned his B.S. degree, magna cum laude, in chemical engineering from the University of Connecticut.