Shantanu Das — CEO

Over 20 years of R&D and innovation leadership experience in leading food, beverage and nutrition companies including Danone, Fonterra, Goodman Fielder, and PepsiCo in global, regional, and business unit roles. Key areas of my capabilities and experiences are summarized below: 1. R&D Leadership: Successfully built and led R&D team, to deliver business goal (gross margin and productivity) and social impact targets (nutritional target and decarbonation) while improving team’s engagement and facilitating team members’ career growth. Developed R&D capability through deploying effective training program, systems and processes, digitalization, and building laboratory and pilot plant facilities. 2. Internal and external collaboration: Successfully collaborated with commercial and technical functions at business unit, regional and global level within the organization to deliver business objectives. Developed win-win relationship with ingredient suppliers, 3PMs, process engineering companies and research organizations to enhance R&D capability. 3. Innovation: Successful consumer product launch in Australia, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, China, Indian subcontinent, and selected African markets for reputed brands, e.g., Aptamil, Karicare (Infant Formula), AptaGrow (Kids), Fortifit, Souvenaid, Anlene (elderly), Anchor, Meadow Fresh (dairy), Alpro, Quaker (plant-based dairy), Freya (bakery). Proven experience in leading innovation process for the organization to ensure optimum utilisation of resources, delivery of short-term business goals as well as long term strategic agenda. Portfolio management to ensure continuous adaptation and improvement to accommodate change in consumer expectation, competitors’ activity, regulatory landscape, and scientific landscape. 4. Productivity: Proven leadership in Design to Superior Value (DTSV) across value chain through product- pack reformulation, milk valorisation, effective raw material sourcing, and manufacturing excellence to deliver productivity while improving social impact (CO2 emission, nutritional profile) and consumer acceptance of at Danone and Fonterra. 5. Quality improvement: Successfully led improvement of product quality (infant formula, nutritional formula, UHT) based on consumer feedback via optimization of product, process, and transport.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in Food and Beverage R&D with a focus on innovation and product development.

Location: Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand

Experience: 21 yrs 8 mos

Career Highlights

Over 20 years of R&D leadership in food and nutrition.
Successful product launches across multiple global markets.
Expertise in innovation and collaboration with suppliers.

Work Experience

ITC Limited

Vice President and head of food sciences (1 yr 5 mos)

Danone

Head of R&D (Innovation and PSQC) (2 yrs)

Head Of Innovation ANZ (1 yr 9 mos)

Live Healthy NZ Ltd.

Co-Founder (4 yrs)

Fonterra

Global Manager Innovation, Consumer Brands (Part of global marketing team) (4 yrs 9 mos)

Goodman Fielder

R&D Research and Innovation Senior Manager (3 yrs 11 mos)

Riddet Institute

Innovation Manager (3 yrs)

PepsiCo

R&D New Product Development Manager (dairy and soy) - Asia (4 yrs 2 mos)

University of Otago, New Zealand

Post Doctoral Research Fellow (7 mos)

Education

Certificate at Harvard Business School Online

Ph.D. at Massey University

PGDBA (Post Graduate Diploma in Business) at Massey University

M.Tech. at National Dairy Research Institute

Shantanu Das

CEO

Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand21 yrs 8 mos experience

Highly Stable

Key Highlights

Over 20 years of R&D leadership in food and nutrition.
Successful product launches across multiple global markets.
Expertise in innovation and collaboration with suppliers.

Stackforce AI infers this person is a leader in Food and Beverage R&D with a focus on innovation and product development.

Contact

Skills

Other Skills

Product DevelopmentBeverageFoodDairy ProductsFunctional FoodsMicro EncapsulationInnovationR&DInnovation ManagementTeam LeadershipDairyFood ScienceFood ProcessingFood TechnologyFood Industry

About

Experience

21 yrs 8 mos

Total Experience

3 yrs 5 mos

Average Tenure

1 yr 5 mos

Current Experience

Itc limited

Vice President and head of food sciences

Jan 2025 – Present · 1 yr 5 mos · Bengaluru, Karnataka, India · On-site

Overseeing R&D, nutrition science, quality assurance and regulatory functions supporting multiple categories including staples, biscuits, snacks, beverage and confectionery

Danone

2 roles

Head of R&D (Innovation and PSQC)

Jan 2023 – Jan 2025 · 2 yrs

Innovation and renovation lead Specialized Nutrition, and Plant Based for Australia-New Zealand business unit serving domestic and export market China.
PSQC lead for New Zealand Supply Point leading productivity, secure supply, secure quality and R&D capability.

Head Of Innovation ANZ

Mar 2021 – Dec 2022 · 1 yr 9 mos

Innovation and renovation lead Specialized Nutrition for Australia-New Zealand business unit serving domestic and export market China.
Leading innovation and renovation in early life nutrition (Aptamil and Karicare brands), tailored nutrition for kids (AptaGrow brand) and elderly (FortiFit and Souvenaid brands).

Live healthy nz ltd.

Co-Founder

Jan 2020 – Jan 2024 · 4 yrs · Auckland, New Zealand

A Start-up dedicated to deliver wellness leveraging nature, culture, and science

Fonterra

Global Manager Innovation, Consumer Brands (Part of global marketing team)

Jun 2016 – Mar 2021 · 4 yrs 9 mos · Auckland, New Zealand

Successfully led Anlene portfolio transformation from ‘bone health’ benefit platform to ‘Healthy Aging’ territory delivering more consumer relevant benefits in 8 markets. Contributed to achieve 7% sales growth per year in 2017 - 19 after continuous decline between 2013 to 2015
Led Anlene innovations, eg, Anlene MoveMax, Anlene Heart Plus, Anlene Gold 5X for Southeast Asia markets.
Led ‘Anlene Winning with Taste’ program and improved the portfolio to ‘over 75% win’ in 2019 vs. ‘50% win in 2016’.
Successfully led ‘Design to Value’ (DTV) for Anlene generating saving via product optimisation in 8 Asian markets. Improved Anlene gross margin by up to 5% in 2020 without diluting consumer value.
Developed and launched consumer validated propositions for Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Philippines, and Ethiopia in ‘Affordable Nutrition’ category.
Developed a range of dietary supplements in stress and cognition area and scaled up through 3PM model for USA market. For Fonterra this was the first entry in dietary supplement category.

Goodman fielder

R&D Research and Innovation Senior Manager

Jul 2012 – Jun 2016 · 3 yrs 11 mos · Auckland

Successfully established R&D Research and Innovation function to drive next generation innovation through power of applied science and technology.
Developed program to leverage external science and technology capability, and government funding. Secured over NZ$2.5 million government research grants.
Developed collaboration with 6 universities in New Zealand, Australia, and Europe
Developed 2 patented technologies.
o Frothy milk – creamy taste of milkshake with low/no fat
o Baked goods with probiotics
Developed application for advanced processing technologies.
o Micro filtration of milk
o Gluten free bread by fermenting wheat flour.
Improved foam stability of UHT whipping cream in confectionary application.
Enhanced shelf life of pasteurized milk, cream cheese, and baked goods.

Riddet institute

Innovation Manager

Jul 2009 – Jul 2012 · 3 yrs · Palmerston North

Successfully established food science application research program and built a team of talented scientists, technologists and post graduate students to cater food industry clients and create commercially viable intellectual property (IP) for the institute.
Led projects, sponsored by food industry clients, e.g., Yashili, China (nutritional base powder for IMF); Croda, UK (encapsulated delivery system for DHA and EPA).
Developed 3 patented manufacturing processes for nutritional food ingredients:
o Bioavailable iron encapsulated in milk protein for dairy application - technology sold to Nestle, who has started to use this technology by launching Nestle Buniyad in Pakistan.
o Probiotics encapsulated in dairy matrix for shelf stable foods.
o Protein hydrolysate from meat industry by-product

Pepsico

R&D New Product Development Manager (dairy and soy) - Asia

May 2005 – Jul 2009 · 4 yrs 2 mos · Bangkok

Successfully developed a small NPD team, and established beverage technology capability to deliver locally relevant non-carbonated beverages for India, China and Southeast Asian markets.
Developed, launched, and filled innovation pipeline with a range of high and low acid value added soy, dairy and oat RTD beverages for various Southeast Asian markets, China and India under Quaker and Tropicana brands. All products met sensory, nutritional, and cost of goods target.
Developed beverages for PepsiCo partnerships in Asia including frozen beverages ‘Krushers’ for Southeast Asia (YUM partnership) and RTD coffee ‘Frappuccino’ for China (Starbuck partnership).