Betsy Holden is a corporate director of
Tribune CompanyThe Tribune Company is a large American multimedia corporation based in Chicago, Illinois. It is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with ten daily newspapers and commuter tabloids including Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Hartford Courant, Orlando Sentinel, South Florida...
. Holden served as Co-CEO of
Kraft FoodsKraft Foods Inc. is an American confectionery, food and beverage conglomerate. It markets many brands in more than 170 countries. 12 of its brands annually earn more than $1 billion worldwide: Cadbury, Jacobs, Kraft, LU, Maxwell House, Milka, Nabisco, Oscar Mayer, Philadelphia, Trident, Tang...
from 2001 to 2004. She is currently a senior advisor to
McKinsey & CompanyMcKinsey & Company, Inc. is a global management consulting firm that focuses on solving issues of concern to senior management. McKinsey serves as an adviser to many businesses, governments, and institutions...
and a member of the Duke University Board of Trustees.
Early life
Holden was in
Lubbock, TexasLubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
on October 19, 1955. She grew up in
Washington, PennsylvaniaWashington is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Pennsylvania, United States, within the Pittsburgh Metro Area in the southwestern part of the state...
. Her father was an obstetrician and her mother, a former accountant, was a homemaker. Holden has two siblings.
Holden received her
A.B.A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
from
Duke UniversityDuke University is a private research university located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present day town of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco industrialist James B...
in 1977, and an M.Ed and an MBA from
Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in 1978 1982.
Career
Holden began her career as an assistant product manager in the deserts division of General Foods Corporation. In 1987, she became group brand manager of confections and snacks at Kraft. In 1990, she was appointed a vice president. Holden became an executive vice president in 1995 and president of the Cheese division in 1997. In 1998, Holden was named executive vice president of Kraft Foods. In 2000, Holden was named president and CEO of Kraft Foods North America. In 2001, Holden became Co-CEO of Kraft Foods. However, in 2004, Holden was demoted to president of global marketing and category development.