Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
General Mills Headquarters, Minnepolis visits
Timeline
Generic

Smita Hindurao

Mumbai

Summary

Purposeful food product innovator with 14+ years of experience in product lifecycle management, innovation, productivity/value optimization, food safety and quality, and young talent development. Currently leading the technical sales through product/process solutions, and capability building for the India Bakery and Food Service Business.

Overview

14
14
years of professional experience

Work History

Technical Manager - Customer Solutions

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai
06.2024 - Current
  • Leading technical projects with Key customers, resulting in tailored product solutions that meet specific needs and enhanced customer satisfaction.
  • Developing and maintaining a comprehensive technical knowledge base, empowering field teams to effectively resolve product issues and reduce business losses at top key customers.
  • Market insights on Competition landscape, product feedback and customer feedback to drive product innovation and improvement.
  • Sales capability building on technical selling, product knowledge and building customer relations through differentiated technical capabilities.

Product Quality Manager

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai
03.2022 - 05.2024
  • Led quality, food safety, and regulatory strategies for General Mills businesses in the GEMS region, ensuring compliance with all applicable regulations.
  • Pioneered the Product Quality Grid program for the GEMS region providing a quantitative assessment of Quality System Health across the product lifecycle and identifying key areas for improvement.
  • Championed consumer-first product design for multiple innovations, renovation, and cost optimization projects, resulting in a 10% reduction in consumer complaints.

Sr. Scientist I

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai
12.2019 - 02.2022
  • Internal Subject Matter Expert for Bakeries dry mixes
  • Innovation commissioning for bakeries and Food service business
  • Partner with Business and Operation on Green field project (New plant setup)
  • Led and executed Productivity/Value Engineering initiatives for Bakeries Business
  • Led Launch of 3 Low-Cost Egg free Cake mixes and helped deliver more than 5% of total dry mix business in 2 years' time.
  • Facilitated knowledge transfer and skill development by mentoring emerging talent, ensuring a smooth transition for future growth roles.

Scientist II

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai
06.2015 - 11.2019
  • Supported product development for North America Retail and Food Service business.
  • Expanded the product portfolio by pioneering the development of a first-of-its-kind concentrate for egg-based sponges, specifically designed for a key customer, creating a new revenue stream for the business.
  • Led the successful implementation of an alternate cocoa project and an alternate emulsifiers blend, resulting in $400,000 in annual cost reductions.
  • Successfully renovated 34 SKUs from Cakes and Muffins product line to support business contingency for sweet whey shortage.
  • Expanded market reach by successfully launching a 'Better for You' pancake mix in the MEAN (Middle East and North Africa) market, capturing market need.

Scientist I

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai
02.2014 - 06.2015
  • Development and reformulation of products from perspective of Health Claims like Trans-fat free label, Sodium reduction, PHO free in Cakes, Muffins, Cookies and Pancakes.
  • Worked on Cocoa Sustainability program to source cocoa from Different vendor.
  • Development of Reformulated products and Ingredient Specifications and Label changes.
  • Collaborated with vendors for development and testing of PHO free ingredients.

Technologist I

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai
05.2012 - 02.2014
  • Worked on Functionality of hydrocolloids and their optimization in cakes and muffins.
  • Screened alternate wheat variety for the current hydrocolloids used in baking.
  • Worked on Texture Analyzer to eliminate the subjectivity of results from Sensory.

Research Scientist Trainee

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
Mumbai
07.2011 - 04.2012
  • Worked on HMM project for international market.
  • Cocoa and egg powder replacers for cakes.

Education

Technical Leadership program -

University of Minnesota
04.2024

Master's - Nutrition and Food Processing

SNDT College of Home Science
Pune
06.2010

Bachelor's - Food Science and Nutrition

Dr. Nanavati B.M. Women's college of Home Science
Ghatkopar
06.2008

Skills

  • Product life cycle management
  • Product development
  • Value and cost engineering
  • Food safety and quality
  • Technical sales
  • Customer solutions
  • Capability building
  • Bakery product expertise
  • Ready-to-eat bakery items
  • Flour and dough products
  • Non-dairy toppings

General Mills Headquarters, Minnepolis visits

June 2014 – Product trainings, pilot plant visits, trained in advanced sensory skills or testing, and tolerance testing protocols

April 2024 – General Mills dry mix and frozen plant visits

Timeline

Technical Manager - Customer Solutions

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
06.2024 - Current

Product Quality Manager

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
03.2022 - 05.2024

Sr. Scientist I

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
12.2019 - 02.2022

Scientist II

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
06.2015 - 11.2019

Scientist I

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
02.2014 - 06.2015

Technologist I

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
05.2012 - 02.2014

Research Scientist Trainee

General Mills India Pvt. Ltd.
07.2011 - 04.2012

Technical Leadership program -

University of Minnesota

Master's - Nutrition and Food Processing

SNDT College of Home Science

Bachelor's - Food Science and Nutrition

Dr. Nanavati B.M. Women's college of Home Science

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