Month: April 2024

Originally published on IFT

Mukesh Kasargode: People-Focused R&D Leader

Minutes into a conversation with Mukesh Kasargode, vice president of R&D, PepsiCo Foods North America, his leadership style is apparent: It’s about prioritizing people and building trust within his teams. That’s the approach he takes daily in a role focused on delivering innovation, productivity, and stewardship for hundreds of well-known brands, working with teams in areas ranging from ingredient sourcing and engineering to marketing and sales.

“Trust is the word that I always use,” Kasargode reflects, “because that’s what binds everything. If you can’t extend trust from day one, it never comes together. So that’s why, for me, people have been a huge area of importance in my [professional] life, and they have given me a lot of learnings.”

“Mukesh is a people-oriented leader, and with his diverse expertise and global experience, he is an inspiration to emerging and accomplished professionals within and outside of PepsiCo,” says PepsiCo Senior Principal Scientist Nitin Joshi.

Kasargode’s career in the food and beverage space started when he was hired for an internship at a General Mills breakfast cereal production facility in Woodland, Calif., after completing his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Sacramento. Following his time at General Mills, Kasargode spent 11 years at Kraft Foods. Soon after that, he joined PepsiCo, embarking on a career that has taken him from Dubai, where he worked to build a technical organization to serve markets in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, to Barrington, Ill., where he led product development and commercialization for the Quaker brand.

He assumed the R&D vice president post based in Plano, Texas, in 2021. Kasargode says one of the most important things that the diversified geography of his career has taught him is how to function in both a culture of abundance and a culture of scarcity.

Click here to continue reading on IFT

Originally published on IFT

Mukesh Kasargode: People-Focused R&D Leader

Minutes into a conversation with Mukesh Kasargode, vice president of R&D, PepsiCo Foods North America, his leadership style is apparent: It’s about prioritizing people and building trust within his teams. That’s the approach he takes daily in a role focused on delivering innovation, productivity, and stewardship for hundreds of well-known brands, working with teams in areas ranging from ingredient sourcing and engineering to marketing and sales.

“Trust is the word that I always use,” Kasargode reflects, “because that’s what binds everything. If you can’t extend trust from day one, it never comes together. So that’s why, for me, people have been a huge area of importance in my [professional] life, and they have given me a lot of learnings.”

“Mukesh is a people-oriented leader, and with his diverse expertise and global experience, he is an inspiration to emerging and accomplished professionals within and outside of PepsiCo,” says PepsiCo Senior Principal Scientist Nitin Joshi.

Kasargode’s career in the food and beverage space started when he was hired for an internship at a General Mills breakfast cereal production facility in Woodland, Calif., after completing his master’s degree in mechanical engineering at the University of California, Sacramento. Following his time at General Mills, Kasargode spent 11 years at Kraft Foods. Soon after that, he joined PepsiCo, embarking on a career that has taken him from Dubai, where he worked to build a technical organization to serve markets in Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, to Barrington, Ill., where he led product development and commercialization for the Quaker brand.

He assumed the R&D vice president post based in Plano, Texas, in 2021. Kasargode says one of the most important things that the diversified geography of his career has taught him is how to function in both a culture of abundance and a culture of scarcity.

Click here to continue reading on IFT

April 18, 2024 /3BL/ – The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that New York is the first state to have its new federal home energy rebates application approved. Ceres welcomed this milestone as a key step toward ensuring residents across the U.S. can benefit from federal incentives to power homes more efficiently and generate energy savings.

“The U.S. is poised for a summer of rebates that will deliver cost savings and increased comfort to families across the country,” said Anne Kelly, vice president, government relations, Ceres. “Home energy rebate programs are essential to reduce energy use, lower costs, and bring new jobs to communities across the country. Business engagement is critical to ensure the success of these programs. Manufacturers, service providers, and retailers are eager to get cleaner, more efficient appliances and systems to consumers and are actively ramping up supply chains to meet the increased demand the rebates will create.”

In 2022, the U.S. Congress and Biden administration established two home energy rebate programs to help residents benefit from leading technology to more efficiently and cost-effectively power their homes. These programs are funded by the federal government but designed and implemented at the state level to help homeowners upgrade to cleaner, more efficient appliances and systems. States must submit their home energy rebate program applications for DOE approval. New York is the first state to have its application approved, but DOE is reviewing home energy rebate program applications from 11 other states and expects to receive additional state applications in the coming months.

Ceres, in collaboration with key manufacturers, retailers, and service providers, provided feedback to state energy offices on program design, including in California, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin.

In March, Ceres convened a meeting between key industry players and DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs as part of LEAD on a Clean Economy to discuss ideas to optimize rebate implementation. Ceres also organized a roundtable discussion in Madison, WI, focused on the newly established federal home energy rebate programs. The event provided major manufacturers and energy efficiency service providers the opportunity to share expertise and insight with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Gov. Tony Evers, and other state and local officials.

“Public-private partnership is key in designing and implementing these programs as effectively as possible to meet our nation’s climate, economic, and equity goals. We look forward to supporting additional states as they work with DOE to get programs off the ground and keep money in the pockets of consumers,” Kelly added. 

Ceres is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and sustainable world. United under a shared vision, our powerful networks of investors and companies are proving sustainability is the bottom line — changing markets and sectors from the inside out. For more information, visit ceres.org.

Media Contact: Helen Booth-Tobin, booth-tobin@ceres.org

April 18, 2024 /3BL/ – The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that New York is the first state to have its new federal home energy rebates application approved. Ceres welcomed this milestone as a key step toward ensuring residents across the U.S. can benefit from federal incentives to power homes more efficiently and generate energy savings.

“The U.S. is poised for a summer of rebates that will deliver cost savings and increased comfort to families across the country,” said Anne Kelly, vice president, government relations, Ceres. “Home energy rebate programs are essential to reduce energy use, lower costs, and bring new jobs to communities across the country. Business engagement is critical to ensure the success of these programs. Manufacturers, service providers, and retailers are eager to get cleaner, more efficient appliances and systems to consumers and are actively ramping up supply chains to meet the increased demand the rebates will create.”

In 2022, the U.S. Congress and Biden administration established two home energy rebate programs to help residents benefit from leading technology to more efficiently and cost-effectively power their homes. These programs are funded by the federal government but designed and implemented at the state level to help homeowners upgrade to cleaner, more efficient appliances and systems. States must submit their home energy rebate program applications for DOE approval. New York is the first state to have its application approved, but DOE is reviewing home energy rebate program applications from 11 other states and expects to receive additional state applications in the coming months.

Ceres, in collaboration with key manufacturers, retailers, and service providers, provided feedback to state energy offices on program design, including in California, Massachusetts, and Wisconsin.

In March, Ceres convened a meeting between key industry players and DOE’s Office of State and Community Energy Programs as part of LEAD on a Clean Economy to discuss ideas to optimize rebate implementation. Ceres also organized a roundtable discussion in Madison, WI, focused on the newly established federal home energy rebate programs. The event provided major manufacturers and energy efficiency service providers the opportunity to share expertise and insight with U.S. Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Gov. Tony Evers, and other state and local officials.

“Public-private partnership is key in designing and implementing these programs as effectively as possible to meet our nation’s climate, economic, and equity goals. We look forward to supporting additional states as they work with DOE to get programs off the ground and keep money in the pockets of consumers,” Kelly added. 

Ceres is a nonprofit advocacy organization working to accelerate the transition to a cleaner, more just, and sustainable world. United under a shared vision, our powerful networks of investors and companies are proving sustainability is the bottom line — changing markets and sectors from the inside out. For more information, visit ceres.org.

Media Contact: Helen Booth-Tobin, booth-tobin@ceres.org