Chris Mallett, D.Phil.

Treasurer, FFAR Board of Directors
Retired, Corporate Vice President, Research and Development
Cargill, Inc.

Dr. Chris Mallett retired as the corporate vice president of Cargill in 2018, where he had led all Innovation, Research & Development (IR&D) across the company since January 2005. Prior to joining Cargill, Mallett was the foundational senior vice president of R&D and chief technology officer of the dairy multinational Fonterra in New Zealand. Before his role at Fonterra, he led the food and agribusiness activities at CSIRO Australia, the nation’s premier science agency, where he served successively as chief of division, executive vice president and deputy CEO. He had previously held various leadership positions in R&D in the European edible oils and frozen food business of Unilever, the consumer goods multinational, which he joined in 1982 after an academic career in Austria and Australia. He has also served as a director on many boards and advisory boards in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the US.

Mallett is currently Treasurer and a member of the board of the Foundation for Food & Agricultural Research, which was authorized by Congress as part of the 2014 Farm Bill to leverage public and private resources to increase the scientific and technological research, innovation and partnerships critical to boosting America’s agricultural economy. He was elected fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering in 1999 and was awarded a 2000 Centenary Medal of Australia for contribution to Australia’s R&D.

Mallett, who is a Manxman, received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate degrees in chemistry from the University of Oxford. He is married with three adult children.

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