News

Glen Rock, NJ – The WFFC is pleased to announce the 2023 Annual Recognition
Award recipients.

They are Ana Paula Mendonça, IFF (Nancy Poulos Leadership),
Alison Freedman, DSM-Firmenich (Flavorist Recognition), Adriana Medina,
Givaudan (Perfumer Recognition), and Eimear Robertson, Kerry (Innovation
Excellence).

The award recipients will be honored at the WFFC Annual Recognition Dinner on
Thursday, June 14, 2023, at the Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City, New
Jersey.

Ana Paula Mendonça is a results-driven leader with more than twenty-eight years
in the fragrance and flavor industry and nineteen years of international experience. Ana Paula is the Senior Vice President, Commercial Excellence at IFF with a proven track record in managing broader cross-functional teams and operating successfully in culturally diverse environments. Ana’s understanding of the industry has been instrumental in driving the growth of IFF.

Ana Paula has had diverse leadership roles in sales, business development, marketing, category management, creation, design and innovation, and general management. Ana Paula was the first female leader appointed as Vice President, Regional General Manager of Consumer Fragrance at IFF.

In 2022, Ana Paula became the President of Fragrance Ingredients and joined the Scent Executive Committee. Ana Paula is fully engaged in the D&EI agenda having moved around the IFF world with her family from her home country of Brazil to the United States and the Netherlands. Outside of work, Ana Paula enjoys spending time with friends and family, and is a proud mother of two. Ana Paula is a professional with a strong passion for people, products, and the planet.


Alison Freedman is a Senior Flavorist at DSM-Firmenich working to create flavors
for sweet, savory, and beverage applications. Alison is currently serving as an
advisory board member for Perfumer & Flavorist+ and as the chairperson for The
Society of Flavor Chemists Media Communications Committee.

Alison is passionate about her client-facing experience creating winning tastes, developing innovative products, and advancing health-focused impacts for global food and beverage clients. Alison, a Virginia Tech graduate, spends free time studying wine and is a Level III Sommelier pursuing Level IV certification.

Adriana Medina, Vice President Perfumery, Fragrance & Beauty at Givaudan, gets
inspiration from a childhood in Bogota, Colombia which triggered curiosity with
the intersection of art and science. With a true belief that we are all empowered to
make a difference, Adriana’s perfumery style comes from a vibrant personality –
bold, full of energy, and colorful. Inspired by the great Colombian writer, Gabriel
Garcia Marquez, it is quoted “between reality and nostalgia is the raw material of
my work,” which sums up Adriana’s philosophy and Adriana’s approach to
creation.


Eimear Robertson joined Kerry in Ireland after graduating in 2004 and celebrates
more than a nineteen-year career at Kerry. Within various roles at Kerry, Eimear
has built solid, trustworthy relationships with customers. Working together with
them to solve the many opportunities the North American marketplace presents,
while launching new and renovating existing products.

Eimear serves as the Chief Technical Officer, and currently leads the research, development and applications, and regulatory and scientific affairs teams in North America. Eimear’s passion and drive are fueled by the exceptional talents and capabilities of the Kerry team.

Eimear holds a degree in food science from the University College Dublin, Ireland
and serves on community, industry and leadership groups including Chief. Eimear
lives in the Chicago area and enjoys time with family, walking, traveling, cooking,
and now watching soccer.

For more information, please visit our website www.wffc.org or contact us at info@wffc.org

About the WFFC
The WFFC is a professional association that was founded in 1982 by a group of forward-thinking members whose vision was to provide women in the flavor and fragrance industry with a forum for networking, education, career advancement, and camaraderie.  The WFFC is a growing organization that strives to educate, engage, and empower its members.

Glen Rock, NJ – Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce (WFFC) is pleased to announce
the 2023 calendar of anchor events.

Annual Educational Seminar
Wednesday, 03/29/2023
Saddle Brook Marriott
138 Pehle Avenue
Saddle Brook, NJ 07663

8th Annual Recognition Dinner
Wednesday, 6/14/2023
Liberty House
76 Audrey Zapp Drive
Jersey City, NJ 07305

28th Annual Golf Outing
Tuesday, 08/29/2023
Forest Hill Field Club
9 Belleville Avenue
Bloomfield, NJ 07003

39th Annual Gala
Thursday, 9/28/2023
Westmount Country Club
728 Rifle Camp Road
Woodland Park, NJ 07424

For more information, please visit our website www.wffc.org or contact us at info@wffc.org

About the WFFC
The WFFC is a professional association that was founded in 1982 by a group of forward-thinking members whose vision was to provide women in the flavor and fragrance industry with a forum for networking, education, career advancement, and camaraderie. The WFFC is a growing organization that strives to educate, engage, and empower its members.

Glen Rock, NJ – The Women in Flavor and Fragrance Commerce, Inc. (WFFC) is pleased to announce the upcoming 27th Annual Golf Outing and Clinic. Returning to the picturesque Forest Hill Field Club, the event will be held on August 30, 2022. The WFFC will be honoring the late Pat Halle with her own award and recognition.

Pat Halle, a founding member of WFFC, dedicated almost 50 years of her life to the purchasing of ingredients for the Flavor and Fragrance industry, starting at Dragoco, moving on to J. Manheimer, and then to Ungerer and Company as Director of Purchasing. Pat unfortunately passed away May 16, 2022. Her legacy lives on through the love of her family and her strong loyalty to her friends. In her honor, a new award called the “For the Love of the Game Award” will be given out annually at the WFFC Golf Outing & Clinic.

For more information, please visit our website www.wffc.org or contact us at info@wffc.org

About the WFFC
The WFFC is a professional association that was founded in 1982 by a group of forward-thinking members whose vision was to provide women in the flavor and fragrance industry with a forum for networking, education, career advancement, and camaraderie. The WFFC is a growing organization that strives to educate, engage, and empower its members.

Glen Rock, NJ – The Women in Flavor and Fragrance Commerce, Inc. (WFFC) is pleased to announce that Megan Crokos, Senior Vice President Product & Fragrance Development, Bath and Body Works (BBW), will be honored at the 38^th WFFC Annual Gala on September 15, 2022, at the Westmount Country Club in Woodland Park, New Jersey.

In this role, Megan Crokos leads ideation and defines big picture strategies for all personal care & home products, leading the creation of more than 1,000 new skus.

Megan joined BBW in 2007 as Director of Creative Product Innovations. In 2009, she was promoted to AVP and in 2012, her role expanded adding Creative Fragrance and Innovations to Product Development. In 2013, she was promoted to Vice President and later to Senior Vice President in 2019. As well as her promotion, Megan was given the Cosmetic Executive Women (CEW) Top Talent Award. Megan is also a member of Chief, which is a private network connecting and supporting women leaders.

Prior to her tenure with BBW, Megan spent more than 20 years creating and marketing new color cosmetics, facial skincare, fragrant body care and home products with Estee Lauder, Clinique, MAC, Jo Malone, La Mer, L’Oréal/Lancôme, Calvin Klein Beauty, and Revlon. Starting her career behind the counter, she was promoted several times until she became the Executive Director Global Product Development.

For more information, please visit our website www.wffc.org or contact us at info@wffc.org

About the WFFC

The WFFC is a professional association that was founded in 1982 by a group of forward-thinking members whose vision was to provide women in the flavor and fragrance industry with a forum for networking, education, career advancement, and camaraderie.  The WFFC is a growing organization that strives to educate, engage, and empower its more than 500 members.

Glen Rock, NJ – The WFFC is pleased to announce the 2022 Annual Recognition
Award recipients. They are Gillian Bleimann Boucard, Berje, Inc. (Nancy Poulos
Leadership Award), Elsa Howerth, Kerry (Flavorist Recognition Award), Christina
Christie, IFF (Perfumer Recognition Award) and Sarah Willet, Kerry (Innovative
Excellence Award).

The award recipients will be honored at the WFFC Annual Recognition Dinner on
Thursday, June 16, 2022, at the Liberty House Restaurant in Jersey City, New
Jersey.

Gillian -Bleimann Boucard

An active member of the flavor and fragrance community for over 22 years, Gillian
Bleimann-Boucard is the recipient of the Nancy Poulos Leadership Award. Gillian
began her career as a student, spending her summers in Berje’s fragrance
laboratory. These summers in the lab along with the guidance of her father, Kim
Bleimann, sparked her interest in the industry throughout her college years.
Beginning in 2006, Gillian started her career at Berje as part of a rotational
training program, working in areas of quality control, regulatory and product
management. Helping Berje expand its global partnerships throughout Europe,
Asia, Australia and South America, Gillian led the company’s global purchasing
team.

As of 2021, Gillian has ascended to the role of CEO at Berje, carrying the
company into its third generation of family ownership. Throughout her entire career, Gillian has remained hyper-focused on providing stability and sustainability for the next generation of her industry. When Gillian is not working at Berje, her time is spent enjoying time with her family between New Jersey and Texas.

Elsa Howerth

Elsa Howerth, RD&A Director/Senior Flavorist III at Kerry, is the recipient of the
Flavorist Recognition Award. Elsa has been in the flavor industry for over thirty
years, although she came to the United States as a foreign student to study
physical therapy. She received a bachelor’s degree in dietetics and food
administration, while training to be a flavorist in a career path she didn’t know
existed. With her passion and skill set, Elsa advanced in her career moving into a
technical director role overseeing both quality control and regulatory.

Elsa now excels in her current role at Kerry in Beloit, Wisconsin, as she continues to work on flavors across product categories and as a technical manager in complex reduction initiatives while mentoring/training juniors. Elsa is an active volunteer for the Society of Flavor Chemists and a participating member of FEMA committees.

Christina Christie

Christina Christie, Senior Perfumer at IFF, is recipient of the Perfumer Recognition
Award. Christina Christie did not know she would become a perfumer. However,
with olfaction as her main sense, this paved the way for an amazing career in
fragrances. Christina recalls the sensitivity she had to scents and kept sensation
records while growing up in New York City. Still unaware of the industry after
graduating college, a headhunter helped her find her first job in the industry.

This introduction to perfumery while working in a marketing position, changed her fate
and her career path. Christina eventually trained as a perfumer at Takasago while
working there for 14 years; eventually going back to her roots in New York City to
become a Senior Perfumer at IFF.

Sarah Willet

With its induction in 2016, the Innovation Excellence Award is offered to
individuals that act as role models in guiding change and innovation. This year’s
recipient is Sarah Willet, Ph.D., Senior RD&A Scientist – Innovation at Kerry.

In Sarah’s role, she focuses on areas for lipid systems, enzyme processes, and
encapsulation of flavors and bioactives. Completing her PhD at the University of
Georgia in 2019, Sarah’s research focus was on production of structured lipids
containing menhaden fish oil, oleogels, and potential healthy beneficial lipids in
food products. An active member of the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS),
Sarah has won multiple awards, including Biotechnology Student Awards and the
Hans Kauntiz Award.

Her active membership also includes serving as the vice chair of the biotechnology division, chair of Young Professionals Common Interest Group, and newsletter editor. Her hobbies include eating desserts and running with her chocolate lab Godiva and fiancé Jose.

For more information please visit our website www.wffc.org or contact us at info@wffc.org

About the WFFC

The WFFC, Inc. was founded in 1982 by women employed in various capacities in the U.S. flavor and fragrance industry. This organization was borne out of a recognized need for a networking, education and support system for women in our industry. Our mission has been and remains to this day to provide a center of education, camaraderie, support and networking opportunities for women in our industry. Our membership encompasses women involved in sales, purchasing, customer service as well as technical careers.

Glen Rock, NJ – Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce (WFFC) is pleased to announce the 2022 calendar of anchor events.

Annual Educational Seminar

Thursday, 3/24/2022
Saddle Brook Marriott
138 Pehle Avenue
Saddle Brook, NJ 07663

7th Annual Recognition Dinner

Thursday, 6/16/2022
Liberty House
76 Audrey Zapp Drive
Jersey City, NJ 07305

27th Annual Golf Outing

Tuesday, 8/30/2022
Forest Hill Field Club
9 Belleville Avenue
Bloomfield, NJ 07003

38th Annual Gala

Thursday, 9/15/2022
Westmount Country Club
728 Rifle Camp Road
Woodland Park, NJ 07424

For more information please visit our website www.wffc.org or contact us at info@wffc.org

About the WFFC

The WFFC is a professional association that was founded in 1982 by a group of forward-thinking members whose vision was to provide women in the flavor and fragrance industry with a forum for networking, education, career advancement, and camaraderie. The WFFC is a growing organization that strives to educate, engage and empower its more than 500 members.

Glen Rock, NJ – Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce, Inc. (WFFC, Inc.) is pleased
to announce its 2022 boards.

New Jersey Executive Board:

President: Adriana Becker, Capua 1880 USA, Inc
Vice President: Natasha Reed, Robertet Fragrances and Ingredients
Treasurer: Joan Huang, Symrise, Inc.
Secretary: Marie Wright, ADM
Immediate Past President: Erica Lermond, The Lermond Company, LLC

New Jersey Board of Directors

Michelle Bruckmann, Berje Inc.
Linda Bukowski, Flavor & Fragrance Specialties
Patricia Halle, Hamilton Consulting
Cathianne Leonardi, Doehler
Adele Naidu, Firmenich
Rosanna Santoro, IFF
Christina Smith, Virginia Dare Extract
Jill Stessl, Robertet Fragrances and Ingredients
Bryn Thomas, Givaudan

Cincinnati Executive Board:

President: Erica Boyd, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing
Vice President: Deborah A. Coviello, Illumination Partners, LLC
Treasurer: Sarah Lucas, ADM
Secretary: Heather Wujek, Mane, Inc.
Cincinnati Board of Directors:
Kayla Hill, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing
Alyssa James, Flavor Producers
Sharon Klepak, Callisons
Melissa Long, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing
Holly Mason, ZoomEssence
Alex McClatchie, ADM
Kelly Stirsman, Mane Inc.

Chicago Executive Board:

President: Marissa Piazza Pasky, Sensient
Vice President: Kelli Heinz, Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.
Treasurer: Lisa Drawer, MBA, The Edlong Corporation
Secretary: Lindsey Oostema, MBA, Synergy Flavors, Inc
Immediate Past President: Mary Maile, Innova Flavors
Chicago Board of Directors:
Paulina Costa Syskowski, MBA, Kalsec, Inc
Jane Pinda, Ele Corporation

For more information please visit our website www.wffc.org or contact us at info@wffc.org

About the WFFC

The WFFC is a professional association that was founded in 1982 by a group of forward-thinking members whose vision was to provide women in the flavor and fragrance industry with a forum for networking, education, career advancement, and camaraderie. The WFFC is a growing organization that strives to educate, engage and empower its more than 500 members.

Glen Rock, NJ – Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce, Inc. (WFFC, Inc.) is pleased to announce its 2021 boards.

New Jersey Executive Board:

President: Jessica Reichert, Premier Specialties, Inc.
Vice President: Paige Crist, Allured Business Media
Treasurer: Adriana Becker, Capua 1800 USA, Inc
Secretary: Natasha Reed, Robertet Fragrances and Ingredients

New Jersey Board of Directors

Gillian Bleimann Boucard, Berje Inc.
Michelle Bruckmann, Berje Inc.
Linda Bukowski, Flavor & Fragrance Specialties
Patricia Halle, Hamilton Consulting
Cathianne Leonardi, ADM Nutrition
Erica Lermond, The Lermond Company LLC
Joan Huang, Symrise, Inc.
Adele Naidu, Firmenich
Bryn Thomas, Givaudan
Marie Wright, ADM Nutrition

Cincinnati Executive Board:

President: Erica Boyd, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing
Vice President: Ashley E. Ramudit, Mane, Inc.
Treasurer: Tracey Coffey, Lyons Magnus
Secretary: Heather Wujek, Mane, Inc.

Cincinnati Board of Directors:

Alex Callier ADM Wild Flavors
Amber Cartwright, Givaudan Taste & Wellbeing
Deborah A. Coviello, Illumination Partners, LLC
Karen Dewitt, Skidmore Sales
Cecily Hawkins, Bettera Brands, LLC
Amy Horn, Symrise Inc.
Sarah Lucas, ADM Wild Flavors
Holly Mason, ZoomEssence
Lisa Sanders, Proctor & Gamble
Lindsey Totten, Mane, Inc.

Chicago Executive Board:

President: Marissa Piazza Pasky, Sensient Technologies Corporation
Vice President: Kelli Heinz, Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc.
Treasurer: Marilynn Kelly, Belle Aire Creations
Secretary: Lindsey Oostema, Synergy Flavors, Inc

Chicago Board of Directors:

Paulina Costa Zyskowski, Kalsec, Inc
Lisa Drawer, The Edlong Corporation
Renata Girnius, Orchidia Fragrances
Mary Maile, Innova Flavors
Jane Pinda, Ele Corporation
Corunda T. Pruitt, Synergy Flavors, Inc

For more information please visit our website www.wffc.org or contact us at info@wffc.org

About the WFFC

The WFFC is a professional association that was founded in 1982 by a group of forward-thinking members whose vision was to provide women in the flavor and fragrance industry with a forum for networking, education, career advancement, and camaraderie. The WFFC is a growing organization that strives to educate, engage and empower its more than 500 members.

Glen Rock, NJ – Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce, Inc. (WFFC, Inc.) is thrilled to announce the formation of the WFFC Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)3 charitable organization.

The mission of this new foundation is to provide support for women in business and in the general community struggling with illness, poverty or other impediments to success.

Established as a New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation, the founding board members of the WFFC Foundation, Inc. are the following WFFC, Inc. members:

Chair: Glenda Mensah, Bontoux
Treasurer: Marie Wright, ADM
Secretary: Erica Lermond, The Lermond Copmany, LLC
Directors: Patricia Halle, Hamilton Consulting
Adele Naidu, Firmenich

WFFC, Inc. President, Erica Lermond, notes, “We are really excited about the establishment of the WFFC Foundation, Inc. It will enable the WFFC, Inc. to further our already growing philanthropic efforts. We’ve already embarked on several initiatives that will provide support to WFFC, Inc. members and we look forward to utilizing our sister organization to take our charitable work to the next level.”

For more information please visit our website www.wffc.org or contact us at info@wffc.org

About the WFFC

The WFFC is a professional association that was founded in 1982 by a group of forward-thinking members whose vision was to provide women in the flavor and fragrance industry with a forum for networking, education, career advancement, and camaraderie. The WFFC is a growing organization that strives to educate, engage and empower its more than 500 members.