AUGUST 14, 2024 – New York – Building on the momentum of its food and beverage sector, Edelman has named an Edelman alumnus, Laura Cubillos, RD, Global Chair of its Food & Beverage sector, effective August 26.
Cubillos will lead and develop the sector and its client portfolio globally, working in close partnership with regional leaders to oversee its 500+ employees and provide strategic communications counsel to many of Edelman’s top clients. The firm takes a multidisciplinary approach to food and beverage through consumer engagement experts, journalists, health and nutrition professionals, farmers, retail and supply chain specialists and others, and the Test Kitchen in Chicago, which was launched in 2023. Cubillos will be joining the Global Practice and Sector leadership team, reporting to Alex Thompson, President, Global Practices & Sectors.
“Our Food & Beverage sector is a powerhouse, but we see continued pressure on companies in this industry and change ahead and intend to scale our impact for our clients, so we are delighted to welcome Laura back to Edelman,” said Thompson. “She is a founder, a technical specialist, a strong commercial leader and puts people first. Her expertise and wayfinding intelligence is exactly what our clients will need more of in the years ahead.”
Cubillos brings more than three decades of leadership in global food and beverage consulting and communications, most recently with FoodMinds and Padilla. She joins from Padilla (part of AVENIR GLOBAL) where she served on the executive leadership team reporting to the president, and as head of the award-winning Food, Beverage & Nutrition Practice. With a major focus on work having a positive impact, she led the refresh of the team’s vision and strengthened the integrated marketing offerings along with insights, strategy and impact measurement capabilities for brand, commodity and start-up clients. She regularly convened and connected global food and beverage team members across AVENIR GLOBAL.
Cubillos co-founded FoodMinds, a global food and nutrition affairs agency in 2006 (acquired by Padilla in 2015) to help clients navigate complex and dynamic issues and opportunities at the intersection of science, policy, and healthy and sustainable food systems, to do good through food. The only agency with more than 20 registered dietitians on staff, Laura’s leadership of FoodMinds has driven transformative work for many clients, categories, and products. From North American campaigns for international organizations and brands, to work in more than 40 countries and on six continents for multinationals, to activation of a global network of experts for clients, she brings a deep and wide range of global experience.
“I’m so excited to be back at Edelman with its unparalleled talent, resources and global footprint,” said Cubillos. “Edelman is already advancing big opportunities for clients to be at the forefront. The firm’s Food & Beverage team leads the way forward and builds trust through action. I can’t wait to get going.”
Before co-founding FoodMinds, Cubillos spent four years at Edelman on some of the largest food and beverage accounts. Prior to that, she lived in Chile, leading business development for a wine B2B start-up in Latin America. Laura started her career in communications and PR on the food and beverage team at Porter Novelli and a B2B marketing firm in San Francisco. Cubillos is a registered dietitian and a board member of Action for Healthy Kids, an organization that believes health is a human right and all kids deserve equal access to proper nutrition, opportunities for physical activity, and schools that fully support their health and well-being.
Edelman has served as lead idea and creative agency on several award-winning campaigns for some of the sector’s leading brands, including Mars, Yum Brands! Taco Bell and KFC, The Ajinomoto Group, and more. The firm has been recognized with a number of other “best in” accolades for its work in the sector, including a Bronze Lion at this year’s Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity for Ajinomoto’s #CancelPizza.
