Speakers

Auroni Majumdar has 20+ years of global experience across FMCG and B2B specialty ingredients. He has held leadership positions at top multinational companies including CJ Foods, PepsiCo, and IFF, with expertise spanning strategy, portfolio management, business development, and leading front-end R&D and commercialization teams. In his current role as Vice President of R&D at CJ CheilJedang Foods, Auroni leads the Global Open Innovation function, driving the development of cost-effective scalable technologies across CJ's $10Bn CPG and Food Ingredients portfolio. He oversees a global innovation network spanning the US, Europe, Korea, and Japan, and focuses on strategic partnerships and investments to deliver differentiated, consumer-relevant solutions. Prior to joining CJ, Auroni served as Vice President of Strategy and Business Development of Integrated Solutions at IFF, where he shaped enterprise growth strategies following IFF's merger with DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences. He previously led R&D Strategy and Portfolio Management, where he was responsible for the global R&D pipeline, external innovation and also, played a key role in the company's M&A activities. Auroni began his food and beverage career at PepsiCo, where he led R&D efforts in ingredient discovery, agricultural innovation and product commercialization. He led R&D for Starbucks RTD platform in North America, successfully launching 40+ products for the $2+ billion business. With a strong foundation in consumer insights, science and technology, strategy, and commercialization, Auroni brings a globally minded, collaborative approach to innovation and business growth. He is passionate about building ecosystems that translate innovative ideas into scalable, real-world solutions.