John is an Executive in Residence at the D'Amore-McKim School of Business, Northeastern University and a Batten Fellow at the Darden School of the University of Virginia. John's work focuses on executive education, consulting on new ventures for established companies, and researching new applications of social networks to business.
John has 28 years of industrial experience with every phase of R&D in the food industry. He has developed expertise with the many facets of R&D management, including innovation, technical leadership, fundamental research, quality assurance and food safety, external advisory boards, and product development.
In addition to his R&D experience, John has experienced first hand the demands on the senior leadership team as a member of the Mars North America management team for 10 years. John also was responsible for External Relations for 2 years and is intimately familiar with the obesity issue in the US.
After stints with Procter & Gamble and Ocean Spray Cranberries, John joined the R&D Division of the US unit of Mars, Incorporated in 1986. After a series of assignments with increasing responsibility, John was appointed in 1995 to the position of Vice President of R&D for Mars North America. John was appointed to the position of Vice President of University Research in mid 2005. He was responsible for creating and managing links between leading management thinkers and strategic problems at Mars.
John graduated from MIT in 1979 with a BS degree in Chemical Engineering.
He can be reached at j.helferich@neu.edu .