4 September 2020 – Reckitt Benckiser Group Plc (“RB”) today announces the appointment of Angela Naef, effective 14th September, as group Chief Research & Development Officer and a member of the Company’s Executive Committee.
Angela will be responsible for elevating RB’s science capability and platforms as well as for driving external partnerships. She will help chart the future course of RB’s Research & Development (R&D) function in support of RB’s Purpose and Fight.
Angela brings more than 20 years of diverse senior leadership experience in product and business development, with the last 10 years in technical and commercial leadership roles at DuPont where she led the Nutrition & Biosciences Global Technology and Innovation organisation. In this role her focus was on accelerating innovation in the area of food ingredients, dietary supplements, nutrition science and biotechnology, optimising their innovation portfolio and processes to create competitive advantage.
A graduate of the University of California, Davis with a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Angela is a Six Sigma Black Belt and a member of the American Chemical Society, Women in Agribusiness, WIN and MENSA International. She is the author of more than 20 external publications, has written a children’s book on chemistry for young girls, and holds six patents. She is a recipient of ICIS and R&D 100 Awards for her work in promoting innovation in new product development.
Angela is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion and actively works on STEM education for girls and boys to inspire the next generation of new engineers and scientists. She has also held several senior leadership positions in key industry organisations, including as an Executive Board member for EU Specialty Food Ingredient association and Chair of the Board of Directors for AmCham Denmark.