Weizhi Chen

Weizhi Chen, PhD, is an Executive in Residence in the marketing department at the Daniels College of Business.

Chen has been a senior executive with strong expertise in innovation from idea to market with rigorous technical and business training. He has worked for several Fortune 500 consumer goods companies including PepsiCo and Kraft Foods, and most recently served as Senior Vice President & Chief Technical Officer at the Whitewave Foods/Danone leading domestic and international cross-functional innovation teams, managing Research & Development, Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Quality Assurance Departments for company’s Asia business, and Consumer Sciences, Applied Technologies, and New Category Innovation for the US business.

Chen has a strong passion and track record for translating consumer/customer insights and technical inventions into profitable business growth. He has been a featured speaker at professional conferences including the American Food Technology & Innovation Summit in Chicago and the Global Food & Beverage Innovation Forum in Shanghai. Chen is co-founder and president of Food Innovation Design, LLC, specializing in creating innovative foods and beverages for fitness and wellness.

Education

• PhD in Food Science & Engineering, Kansas State University
• MBA, Marketing and Management, Kellogg Graduate School of Management, Northwestern University
• MS in Food Science, Kansas State University
• Executive Business Innovation Program, IMD, Switzerland
• Innovating Products and Services, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
• Certificate in “Innovating Products & Services”, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Awards and Honors

• Isydore Hlynka Best Research Paper Award
• Hilton Barney Creativity Awards
• i-Awards for Innovation, Invention, and Ingenuity
• Patents granted for inventions of new Products, Processes, Technologies, Instruments, and Devices

Hobbies/Interests

• Invention
• Innovation Design
• Teaching