Upside Foods Announces PepsiCo Veteran as Inaugural Chief Operating Officer

BERKELEY, Calif. — Upside Foods, a cell-cultured meat, poultry and seafood (also known as cultured meat) company, announced this week the appointment of former PepsiCo senior vice president Amy Chen as the company's first chief operating officer (COO). With Chen on board, Upside Foods said it has accelerated its transformation to a commercial organization as it prepares to bring its first consumer product, Upside Chicken, to market.

 

"We needed a proven leader with global food experience to match our global ambitions, and an equally deep commitment to our mission to make meat that is better for the world. Amy is exactly that," said Uma Valeti, CEO and founder of Upside Foods. "Bringing Amy into our executive team reflects Upside Foods' shift in focus from research and development to a consumer and commercial organization, and we are thrilled to welcome her to our team of Upsiders."

 

Chen spent more than a decade at PepsiCo, most recently as senior vice president at PepsiCo Beverages North America. Before that, she was the chief marketing officer for PepsiCo's snacks business in the Greater China Region. Chen also held a variety of sales, operations, strategy and innovation roles within the company. Upside said she is a passionate people leader with a strong track record for building winning teams and cultures, creative problem-solving and delivering breakthrough results. 

 

Earlier in her career, Chen co-founded and launched Food for Good, a social business incubator that has provided more than 50 million meals to underserved children since 2009. She was also a charter member of PepsiCo's Human Rights Operating Committee.

 

"Throughout my career, I've always been committed to using business as a force for good. I'm thrilled to be joining Upside Foods' movement to transform our food system for the better," said Chen. "I'm excited about the opportunity to help define a new industry, build a commercial organization from the ground up and change the world all at the same time with Uma and our growing team at Upside Foods." 

 

Chen is responsible for leading the brand's global strategy and commercial functions, including sales and marketing, finance and operations, product development, food safety and public policy. She will also be focused on scaling the company's culture as it enters its next phase.