In this live, on-stage conversation recorded at Baking Tech in Chicago, Angela Dodd welcomes longtime mentor and industry leader Cherie Floyd for a candid discussion about innovation, leadership, and career growth inside large, legacy food organizations.

Cherie, Vice President of R&D for Sweet Baked Snacks at The J.M. Smucker Company, brings more than 30 years of experience leading iconic brands for global food companies. Together, Angela and Cherie explore what it really takes to innovate within beloved brands while staying grounded in consumer trust, scientific rigor, and business realities.

The conversation moves from defining what innovation actually means inside a legacy portfolio to navigating today’s rapidly shifting regulatory, consumer, and cultural landscape. Cherie shares practical insights on balancing renovation versus reinvention, building resilient innovation pipelines, and why failing fast is not only acceptable—but essential.

They also dive into the role of AI in R&D, from accelerating consumer insights to streamlining everyday tasks, and discuss why organizational empathy and cross-functional partnership are critical skills for modern leaders. Throughout the episode, Cherie reflects on her own career journey, offering honest advice for early-career professionals and future leaders navigating an industry that is evolving faster than ever.

This episode blends strategic insight with personal storytelling—reminding us that careers, like innovation, are rarely linear.