Tawfik Sharkasi

Tawfik Sharkasi of Chicago, Ill., is the vice president and chief science and technology officer for William Wrigley Jr. Company. Sharkasi has 25 years of global experience in management of food manufacturing and Research and Development for top companies such as Nestle, Kraft and PepsiCo. His record of successfully coordinating research, technical and product development functions with marketing, production and finance has solidified his professional reputation in the food science industry. In his current position at Wrigley, he is responsible for delivering new and innovative technologies in gum and confections. He previously was the company's vice president of Research and Development. His background includes a wide range of food and beverage products for retail, fast-food and specialty markets, from development of strategic research and development plans to factory management.