Katherine M. Gage has nearly twenty years of experience in business and marketing, twelve of which have been concentrated in the areas of ingredient and flavors marketing to the food, confectionery, beverage, pharmaceutical and oral health industries.
Most recently as marketing director for Corn Products U.S., a business unit of Corn Products International, Inc., Ms. Gage has been responsible for directing all marketing, advertising and public relations activities supporting the company’s specialty ingredients business, as well as helping to redefine the company’s overall face to its customers. In this role, she developed strategic marketing programs and customized selling tools aimed at maximizing value proposition, driving growth in new market segments, and elevating the company’s market presence within the highly competitive sweetener industry. It was here that she honed her skill and affinity for balancing creative vision and consumer intelligence with business strategy and budgetary discipline to deliver compelling yet cost-effective messaging that resonates with food formulators, brand managers and purchasing gatekeepers, and ultimately with the evolving tastes and curiosities of today’s savvy consumer.
Ms. Gage launched her food marketing career at International Flavors & Fragrances, Inc., rising quickly through the ranks to ultimately become global marketing manager for sweet goods with a team of marketers around the globe. During this time she gained visibility and hard-earned respect with world-leading confectionery, bakery, oral care and pharmaceutical product developers who often called upon her expertise in market trend analysis, consumer insights, concept development and creative ideation to help inspire their own new product initiatives. She was often quoted in industry publications and received multiple recognitions for her award-winning promotional programs and new product concepts.
Ms. Gage began her professional career with the Department of Defense where she was recruited from college as a weapon systems contract specialist for the U.S. Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center in Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey. She later returned to academia to pursue an advanced degree in Marketing and Management.
Ms. Gage holds an MBA degree from Seton Hall University, where she was awarded highest academic honors in 1998. She also received a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and Advertising from Seton Hall, graduating magna cum laude near the top of her class in 1993. She has been involved with several professional and industry associations throughout her career, including Beta Gamma Sigma, National Contract Management Association, Creative Problem Solving Institute, Institute of Food Technologists, National Confectioners’ Association and the Calorie Control Council, to name a few.