Bell Flavors and Fragrances announced the promotions of three team members, and hiring of seven new employees. Promotions include: Nicole Iwicki to senior sensory scientist, and Joann Molloy and Valerie Seaholm’s promotion to regulatory analyst.
Bell also welcomes to the family Jordan Rammelsberg, research chef; Cyndie Lipka, principal flavorist; Megan Paul, sensory technologist; Dana Sanza Chen, senior flavorist; Ciara Baloun, regulatory project manager; Paul Lai, senior sensory scientist; and Prisca Lumbu, regulatory compliance specialist.
Nicole Iwicki has been a key member of Bell’s Sensory & Consumer Insights Team for over four years. In her new role as senior sensory scientist, she will lead the Flavor Division’s projects and streamline overall Sensory processes.
Joann Molloy joined the Bell team in 2007 as a Kosher, Halal and CDA administrator. Molloy then transitioned to the role of
senior documentation administrator, maintaining her subject matter expertise through support of Kosher and Halal flavor submissions.
Valerie Seaholm joined Bell in 2012 as a senior documentation administrator and had an immediate impact thanks to her exceptional organization and computer skills. She manages the CDA program for Bell along with supporting the data surveys of RIFM, FEMA and IFRA.
In their new roles, both Molloy and Seaholm will continue to ensure that the regulatory team is on track to accomplish their goals while continuing to maintain a focus on the customer.
Jordan Rammelsberg joins Bell’s culinary and applications team as a research chef. Rammelsberg comes to Bell from Gamay Food Ingredients in New Berlin, Wisc., where he was a food scientist that developed and tested shelf-stable dairy products. Rammelsberg holds a B.S. in Culinology with a Minor in Nutrition from Southwest Minnesota State University. Rammelsberg is an active member of the Research Chefs Association and was the recipient of the RCA Higher Education Scholarship in both 2014 and 2015.
Bell welcomes back Cyndie Lipka to the sweet creation team as a principle flavorist. Lipka has more than 25 years of experience in the flavor industry developing and duplicating elegantly layered flavors for a variety of markets, including confectionary, chewing gum, and beverages. Lipka is a trained sensory panelist with more than seven years’ additional experience on perfumer & flavorist ‘organoleptic characteristics of flavor materials’. Lipkais an active member of the Society of Flavor Chemists
(SFC), Chemical Sources Association (CSA), Women in Flavor & Fragrance Commerce (WFFC) and FEMA. Lipka served on the board of directors for the SFC, a two termed president of CSA, and is currently a board member of the WFFC. In 2017, Lipka received the Flavorist of the Year Award from the WFFC and Bell is excited to have her join the team.
Megan Paul comes to Bell after three years at Trillian Food & Nutrition in Little Chute, Wisc, and will serve as a sensory technologist. Paul earned her B.S. in food science with a minor in Organizational Leadership and Supervision from Purdue University. Paul will lead sensory panel scheduling, preparation, and execution for both the Flavor and Fragrance divisions.
Dana Sanza-Chen has joined the Bell Flavor Creation Team as a senior flavorist. Sanza-Chen has 20 years of experience in the flavor industry, creating and duplicating sweet flavors primarily for the beverage market. Sanza-Chen is an active member of the Society of Flavor Chemists (SFC), holding a variety of positions including Chicago meeting coordinator (2013-2014), membership committee (2015-2019) and most recently, Membership Committee Co-Chair (2019-present).
Ciara Baloun joins the Bell family as a regulatory project manager at the Northbrook location. Baloun previously spent time in regulatory at Kerry and Silesia Flavors supporting TTB, Organic and the Non-GMO Project Verification Programs. Additionally, Baloun has experience in flavor quality with certifications in PCQI, HACCP, BRC internal auditing, and food defense programs.
Paul Lai joins the Bell Sensory & Consumer Insights team with nine years of experience in sensory and consumer research, most recently at Kerry. He will lead sensory & consumer research projects on the fragrance side of the business. Lai earned his M.S. and B.S. in Food Science with a double minor in Packaging Science and Horticultural Science from the University of Florida.
Lastly, Bell welcomes Prisca Lumbu to the regulatory team as a regulatory compliance specialist. Lumbu joins the company from Mars Food as a labeling and certification specialist. Lumbu holds a BS in Food Science and Human Nutrition from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
