Fermentation specialist Lesaffre has appointed Rania Abou Samra as its new chief analysis, improvement and innovation (RD&I) officer.
Abou Samra joins Lesaffre’s government committee with greater than 20 years of worldwide expertise in meals, diet and shopper well being analysis and improvement.
She joins from Nestlé, the place she held a sequence of senior R&D management positions over an 18-year profession. Most not too long ago, she served as vice chairman and head of innovation and R&D for Nestlé Middle East and North Africa, primarily based in Dubai. Her earlier roles included VP and world head of know-how and product improvement, head of R&D US for Nestlé Health Science, and VP of R&D for Vital Proteins.
At Lesaffre, Abou Samra will lead the groups on the Lesaffre Institute of Science and Technology (LIST), overseeing analysis into fermentation and microorganisms whereas supporting innovation throughout the group’s world operations.
The firm stated her experience spans translating scientific analysis into commercially viable improvements, leveraging synthetic intelligence-driven applied sciences and fostering cross-functional collaboration to speed up product improvement.
Commenting on her appointment, Abou Samra stated: “I share Lesaffre’s conviction that fermentation is a key technology for sustainable innovation. RD&I is a driving force that enables us to support our customers, anticipate food and environmental transitions, and transform scientific knowledge into concrete, sustainable solutions.”
She added: “I am delighted to bring my 20 years of experience in the food and healthcare industries to Lesaffre, and I look forward to working alongside the Group’s experts, customers and partners to continue bringing safer and more sustainable solutions to market.”
Lesaffre CEO Brice-Audren Riché stated: “For us, investing in science has always been a deliberate choice, as we firmly believe that today’s research lays the foundation for tomorrow’s products and services, harnessing the unlimited potential of fermentation.”
Riché aded: “Our capacity for innovation enables us to support our clients by closely addressing their needs and to offer solutions to the societal and environmental challenges we all face. Rania’s expertise provides our RD&I teams with new keys to accelerate innovation in our strategic sectors – food, health and biotech.”
A nutritionist by coaching, Abou Samra holds a PhD in urge for food regulation and diet from the University of Toronto. Throughout her profession, she has led the event of science-based improvements throughout diet and shopper well being, with expertise spanning medical analysis, product improvement and know-how technique.