Professor Ian Puddephat

Background

Ian Puddephat is currently Vice President for Ingredients at PepsiCo R&D Foods. Ian joined PepsiCo in 2011 from a senior R&D leadership position in Agribusiness to build the R&D Ag Science team that now delivers unlocks for the productive and resilient supply of high quality raw materials, such as potato and oats for the Lays and Quaker brands. As the Vice President for the ingredients function, he brings extensive scientific expertise and leadership experience to teams who work across Flavor & Seasoning, Ingredients and Ag Science. Ian has a honors degree in Applied Biology from Coventry polytechnic and holds a PhD in Horticulture from Nottingham University in the U.K. He is an honorary professor at Warwick University and a visiting professor at Cranfield University. He also serves as a non-executive director on the board of NIAB, an independent, science-based crop research organization, working across plant science, crop evaluation and agronomy, and ensuring these advances are transferred effectively onto farms. In 2019, Ian was made a senior R&D fellow in recognition for his scientific leadership and contribution to PepsiCo.

Current activities

Ian is the senior leader responsible in PepsiCo for the company's active R&D programs with Cranfield that cover aspects of soil health and minimum tillage as that relates to production of key raw materials such as potato for the company's food and snack brands. The mephasis of the work is to discover and define science based practices that limit the impact of cultivation on Green House Gas emissions and promote practices that elevate soil health.