Ali began her 20-plus year career in the food industry at Kraft Foods and Nabisco in various R&D capacities, including quality, operations, product and new technology development. She joined PepsiCo in 2005 as Sr. Manager to lead the new product & technology strategy development for Quaker US Foods Product & Process innovation. In 2007, she took a newly established breakthrough Innovation role, responsible for identifying and building technical capabilities in ingredients and delivery systems to create and deliver a tangible performance and nutrition benefits for athletes. This included the launch of G-series performance and G-Natural platforms for the Gatorade Brand.
In 2010, the role expanded to include leading PepsiCo Hydration brands product development – (SoBe brand, Propel & Aquafina) and was promoted to Sr. Director. In 2013, the role again expanded to include Fruits & Vegetable Platform (Tropicana/Naked Emerging Brands). In 2015, the role changed from regional to global, leading Global R&D Functional Capabilities Breakthrough Formulations & Culinary for Nutrition Category platforms (Fruits & Vegetables, Sports Nutrition, Dairy, Grains) supporting global initiatives and region breakthrough Innovation for Tropicana, Naked Juice, Quaker and Gatorade/Propel brands.
Later in her career, she joined Campbell’s Soup Company, also in research and development roles. After retirement, Ali served as chair of the Cornell AgriTech Advisory Council, bringing together food and agriculture businesses with entrepreneurs to succeed.
The Innovation Community Remembers Zeinab Ali
Here is a sampling of thoughts from the innovation community compiled by All Things Innovation, as well as posts that appeared on LinkedIn:
- “I had the occasion to get to know Zeinab through interviews for a few of the reports I produced for All Things Innovation, the online home of the FEI conference. She was an important Advisory Board member for the long-running event and I finally met her in person when I produced FEI, last year. She was kind and thoughtful- her energy was so positive that I felt it, even in our virtual meetings. Her intelligence was superior. I know this based on her calm and collected approach to any point she made, which was almost always the most insightful point made on the subject at hand. That all adds up to a special and memorable person—someone that I’m so happy that I was able to know. I know that those of us who knew her, regardless of the length of time, already have her in our collective spirit. We’ll continue to spread her spirit as we go.” —Seth Adler, IMI Intelligence & Innovation
- “As I return to #FEI2025 this week, I’m excited to connect with this community. But, I also find myself thinking about Zeinab Ali —my late mentor, former manager and a dear friend, who was one of the first to truly believe in me. It was Zeinab who first sent me to this very conference. I once told her, “Thank you, this feels like a spa retreat for my brain.” She never forgot that line. Zeinab recognized a deep curiosity within me that would later fuel my passion for uncovering insights and advocating for the voice of the consumer in innovation. She nurtured that spark, and encouraged me to grow into it. If you’ve had someone who believed in your potential before you did, be that person for someone else. Innovation begins with belief. Pass it on.” —Michelle Wee, Food Trend Director, Global Strategy and Innovation, Ferrero
- “This week we lost Zeinab Ali, a dear friend, mentor, and colleague. Zeinab was devoted to learning and development. In her last post on LinkedIn she encouraged her network to support Center of Excellence for Food and Agriculture at Cornell AgriTech. To honor her memory and to celebrate her passion for the food industry and for educating future generations, Cornell AgriTech has established a fund that will be used to support summer internships (through the summer scholars program) at AgriTech. Gifts can be made online and please notate on the form the gift is in memory of Zeinab Ali. Alternatively, you may make a gift by check made payable to Cornell University to PO Box 37334, Boone, IA 50037 and notate they are in memory of Zeinab Ali.” —Mark Nisbet, Director of Product Development, Mars
- “Last week was one where I found out just how fast bad news travels- the passing of Zeinab Ali took us all by surprise, and all of the comments have been the same. She was astounding, spoke her mind, showed what good leadership was, nurtured talent, and is a huge loss to this world for her family, friends and colleagues. She played a huge part in my journey and I am truly sad, still processing the news. [The scholars program] is a great way to keep her legacy in the industry going strong. She can continue to lead strong, and nurture talent!” — Tammy Butterworth, Product Innovation Director, Welch’s
- “Zeinab was always kind and supportive. I had the privilege of interviewing her for a series of blogs on All Things Innovation about best practices in innovation. She was the perfect choice with all her wonderful years of experience. As she liked to say, when it comes to innovation and brands, you only have one chance to make a good first impression. Thank you Zeinab, for all your years of passion in the innovation discipline.” —Matthew Kramer, Digital Editor, All Things Innovation
- “I had the privilege of knowing Zeinab Ali as a colleague in product development for many years. We would often reconnect in person at the Front End of Innovation conference, where her warmth, insight, and boundless curiosity always stood out. Zeinab had a rare combination of deep technical expertise and genuine human connection — she brought heart to innovation. It’s hard to imagine FEI without her. It’s hard to imagine life without her. I’ll miss our conversations and her bright spirit. Her legacy will live on in the many people and products she touched.” —Gail Martino, Innovation Consultant
- “She was smart, poised, thoughtful and reserved. I always wanted to hear more from her since her perspective was so well considered. She will be missed in our community.” —Michele Sandoval, formerly Director of Innovation, Gallo
- “What an incredible loss. Zeinab was an incredible person who shared her light with the world. Very honored to have worked with her at PepsiCo. My heart extends to her family during this difficult time.” —Allison Karay, Principal Project Manager, Amway
- “So very sorry to hear of Zeinab’s passing. I had the privilege of working with her at Campbell’s. She was truly a wonderful person dedicated to the betterment of her craft.” —Roma A. McCaig, Public Affairs & Communications Chief
- “Huge loss of a wonderful leader, gone too soon. Condolences to all who were impacted by her.” — Meera Simha, Director, Regulatory, Ferrara Candy Company
- “I am saddened by this news and will remember Zeinab as a terrific person and the consummate professional.” —Stephen Dus, Senior Research and Development Leader, formerly Sr. Director, Product Innovation and Enabling Technology R&D, Tyson Foods
- “She was one of the good ones. I worked for her when I was part of Naked Juice. She had strong integrity, a sense of humor and a big heart. She will be missed.” —Greg Fry, Entrepreneur and Founder, SquareOne Food & Beverage Consulting
- “Zeinab was truly an incredible person and an inspiration to me as I started my career with PepsiCo. May her memory be a blessing.” —Daniel Margulis, R&D Sr. Manager – Global Disruptive Innovation, Kraft Heinz
- “She had a remarkable ability to inspire and lead.” —Santhosh Challa, Manager, R&D, Innovation, Sugar Reduction, Ingredion Incorporated
- “I’m so stunned. I just spoke with her recently on the amazing accomplishments of her kids. Our daughters played together many years ago during Nabisco. My heart is with her family at this time of loss.” —Jan Deihl, Owner, Enneajan
- “I am so very sorry to hear this news. I worked with Zeinab Ali at PepsiCo and appreciated her transparency and partnership. Sending love and strength to her family and friends. Sorry to hear of the passing of such a talented, lovely person.” —Shari Matras, CEO/Founder and Managing Principal, BrandNext Partners
- “This is terrible news. Zeinab was a wonderful person, a great leader and such an inspiration. I cannot believe she is gone.” —Joanne Kennedy, East Coast Sales Director, Symrise AG
- “So sorry to hear about Zeinab’s passing! The world has lost a very special person!” —Andy Kieltyka, Senior Manager, Global Safety & Security, CDW
Zeinab Ali on Innovation (in her own words)
“A lot of people may focus on technical aspects and many other segments. For me, the key is very simple. It is the relationship between the business, especially marketing, and R&D. If that is not working, it’s a recipe for innovation failure. I always say that the marketer who knows as much about R&D is your best friend.”
“Be transparent to the business of your capabilities, your knowledge, your understanding about that particular innovation—and you could be wrong, and they can help you correct it. But if you’re very transparent and vulnerable with them, with marketing and vice versa, innovation will work.”
“I think listening to the people before you, listening to what worked, what did not work, and be curious. Ask why. Why did it not work? What happened? Why did it work this time? Children are actually the most creative and innovative in their thoughts. Why? Because they have no fear of failure. They don’t have self-doubt yet, and they ask questions. Just learn from them: Ask questions. Don’t have that fear of failure. Don’t have self-doubt, and innovation will follow.”
“It goes back to that stakeholder relationship. If we start together upfront and be together at the front end of innovation, we can see the need of that innovation together.”
“We’ve done innovations that failed six months into the market. Learn from it. You collect information. Let the consumer enlighten you. Develop organizational thinking and learn from it.”
“Whether technology or culture or people—I think it’s immersing yourself in your field. Let’s say if I make sodas. Immerse yourself in the soda world, everything that exists, not just the big guys but the small guys, even the adjacencies and products that are not quite soda. You’re always looking to adjacencies to adjacencies to adjacencies so at some point you grow your portfolio. Have that finger on the pulse of the consumer—what else are they doing with this soda? They’re consuming my soda with this other product, should I be making that other product as well?”
“You’re constantly trying to extend your brand and understanding. How much can you stretch the brand to the point that it’s not the product the consumer wants. When you get to that point, you have brand extensibility. How far can you push the brand before people say enough. You must understand how far your brand can stretch and then know that limitation. If you want to grow the business, what are the adjacencies that you should consider? You’re always looking for more of what else can the consumer consider me to deliver legitimately?”
“Maybe the product extension is not here yet. Maybe it’s five, six, seven, ten years down the road. Sometimes the organization is not there yet but as a product developer you must look ahead and anticipate.”
“The challenging piece that I see is more one of resources—the lack of resources. People don’t have the bandwidth to do a lot of things that they would love to do. It’s the background work that really fuels innovation because people need a safe space and given the freedom to play. I think that we’re losing that. When the initiative or project arrives, with very little notice, we end up starting from scratch. There was no forethought, which makes it very challenging. Where does most of the shortcuts take place? In my experience, it’s the front end of innovation.”
“Does the consumer want or need this? Can we make it? Can we make money? All those three questions should be answered upfront. My best practice advice is to spend as much time as possible on the front end because then from front end to the launch, it’s really a straight line.”
“I see reliance on technology, whether it be AI and social media, more than actually connecting with the end user. What’s disappearing is the connection with the end user of your product because we’re relying on the algorithm. Yes, use it, but don’t use it instead of the consumer. Technology is supplemental, not the other way around. Because within the corporation, we drink our own Kool Aid. We get excited about what we offer. We get excited about the technologies that we deliver. We get excited about it because we have a patent. But I think the human factor will keep you humble and keep you focused and make you deliver the project on time with less costs because you’re not adding things that they don’t want. Don’t take the consumer focus away from innovators.”
“As innovators, one must always ask the question, what’s in it for the consumer?”
“That is still a problem at organizations—not doing enough insight work to gain foresights. Breakthrough innovation can’t be done without foresights.”
“Innovation is sitting right in front of us. And what do you do? Watch the consumer.”
Zeinab Ali on Her Retirement
Of her retirement, about a year ago Ali wrote a note on LinkedIn, which All Things Innovation feels is pertinent to share here: Ali wrote, “I don’t post often, but I have some important news to share! After 25+ blessed years in the Food Industry, I am officially ‘kinda’ retiring. It has been a very fulfilling career with lots of twists and turns that have always propelled me to a better place. It was not what I thought I would do “when I grow up”. It was better!
If you can believe it, working in the food industry was not my first career choice. Coming from academia, I thought I would spend maybe 3-5 years in the industry and go back to my roots, but I stayed. I fell in love with the cross-functional/fast-based nature of being in this industry and the fact we make products that consumers want, need, and many times for their pure enjoyment.
I have touched many iconic brands and platforms that I am so proud of, and yes, my kids bragged about them and made some friends because of these brands. [Editor’s Note: Brands like Oreo, Chips Ahoy!, 100 calorie packs platforms, Tombstone, Quaker, Gatorade, Tropicana, Naked Juice, KaVita! and many more international brands].
These brands took me to five continents and greeted my team in six different languages. Best “TEAM” ever! I was able to be there for my teams in different time zones across the globe because just as I was raised by a village of aunts, uncles and grandparents, I too had brother-in-laws, sisters, brothers, cousins, grandparents and friends that were a short 2-hour flight or 8-hour drive away. They would show up to hold my own village together when needed, no questions asked because we were raised that way.
I appreciate my husband and my children for all their support throughout the years.
I thank my colleagues and mentors (you know who you are). You always kept it real with me. Cheers!!
So, what am I going to do with this newly found freedom? I have been given so much. It is only natural for me to give back what I have received. I plan to continue to mentor and consult professionally. Academia is calling me back, as well as volunteering.
Of course, I will continue to support other villages in need to give back. Because: I am a Sister, an Aunty, a Cousin, and a Friend. Until next time….”
