Kimberly-Clark names Craig Slavtcheff as Chief R&D Officer
With over 30 years of experience in R&D in the CPG industry, Slavtcheff has been named as an inventor on more than 70 U.S. and global patents
Kimberly-Clark, a global leader in health and hygiene products, announced yesterday the appointment of Craig Slavtcheff as Chief Research and Development Officer, effective July 29th. He succeeds Robert Long, who is retiring after a 45-year career in the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industry, including three years at Kimberly-Clark.
Craig Slavtcheff, with over 30 years of R&D experience in the CPG industry, most recently served as Executive Vice President and Head of R&D and Innovation at Campbell Soup Company, where he has been since 2012. During his tenure, Slavtcheff transformed the R&D and Innovation organization, implementing agile design methodologies, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to accelerate product development and increase market relevance.
With a strong background in senior positions at The Sun Products Corporation and Unilever, Craig Slavtcheff holds more than 70 U.S. and global patents, driving growth across various product categories.
Mike Hsu, President and CEO of Kimberly-Clark, welcomed the new R&D Officer, stating, “Craig brings an incredible combination of science-backed expertise and technological innovation to Kimberly-Clark, and we are thrilled to welcome him to the team. We will benefit from his extensive experience as we continue to leverage science as our competitive advantage and increase our focus and investment in category-transforming technologies to enhance consumers’ daily lives”.
Hsu continued, “I want to thank Robert for his tremendous contributions to Kimberly-Clark since joining our team in 2021. He played a key role in establishing innovation as a value-driver for our business, building a long-term pipeline of disruptive innovations rooted in advantaged technology. His leadership has been instrumental in establishing our strong foundation in material invention and product engineering, which will support our growth for years to come”.
Slavtcheff expressed enthusiasm for his new role. “Kimberly-Clark has an impressive innovation track record, having played a critical role in inventing many of the categories it operates in today. With innovation as a pillar of the company’s strategy, it’s an exciting time to join Mike and the rest of the talented executive team to build on the company’s momentum of accelerating pioneering innovation for Kimberly-Clark’s next chapter of growth”.
Under Slavtcheff’s leadership, the R&D team will focus on proprietary technologies that enhance consumer preference and brand equity, aiming to improve product attributes such as absorbency, comfort, skin health, and sustainability.
Reflecting on his time at the company, Robert Long remarked, “It has been a privilege to be part of a company with such a strong history of category-defining innovation. I’m grateful to have had the strong partnership of our executive leadership team and organizations across the enterprise to elevate innovation in our efforts to better serve consumers and customers”. Long also expressed confidence in Slavtcheff’s leadership, concluding, “I’m confident Craig’s leadership will take innovation to the next level, and I look forward to more great things ahead for Kimberly-Clark”.
