Jean Spence is Executive Vice President of Research, Development & Quality for Mondelēz International, Inc. She is responsible for all product and packaging development, research, nutrition, quality, food safety and scientific affairs activities worldwide. She held the same position at Kraft Foods Inc., the predecessor to Mondelēz International, prior to the spin-off of the company’s North American grocery operations in October of 2012.

Jean joined the company in 1981 as a Research Engineer for Maxwell House and holds three US and worldwide patents for her development work. She held a variety of management positions in Research and Development and Quality before being named Quality Assurance Director in 1993. A year later, Jean was named Research Director, Beverages, then became Group Director for Beverages and Desserts in 1995. She was named Vice President of Technology in 1996 and Vice President, Worldwide Quality and Scientific Relations in 1999.  

In November 2001, Jean was appointed Senior Vice President of Worldwide Quality, Scientific Affairs and Compliance for Kraft Foods North America. In this role she  was responsible for quality on a worldwide basis, coordinating global compliance programs, scientific relations, regulatory issues, microbiology and auditing. In August of 2003 she was named Senior Vice President, Research and Development, Kraft Foods North America. In that role, she oversaw basic research, nutrition and product, product, package and process development.

Prior to joining Kraft Foods, Jean worked in manufacturing as a Process Supervisor for Procter & Gamble in Staten Island, New York.

She serves on the Supervisory Board of GEA Group AG, the Board of Trustees of Clarkson University and is a member of the Institute of Food Technologists.  She served on the US Department of Homeland Security Private Sector Advisory Council, representing the food industry.

Jean received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Clarkson University and a Master of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from Manhattan College.