Gloeckler brings over 30 years of experience in retail, CPG, and operations to the board and will focus on guiding Pairwise as the company moves toward its first commercial product launch in 2023.
“I am excited not just by Pairwise’s differentiation in the market and its existing relationships with channel partners but also its mandate – to build a healthier world through better fruits and vegetables. I look forward to helping Pairwise continue to build its strong brand presence as a mission-driven company using its technology platform to bring true innovation to the marketplace, from produce to other plant-based verticals,” said Gloeckler.
“Michelle brings executive-level expertise from the CPG and retail industries to the Pairwise board, and we are excited to welcome her guidance as we enter our crucial next phase of growth as a technology-driven innovator in plant-based foods,” said Tom Adams, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder of Pairwise. “We believe that the use of gene editing technology offers a transformative opportunity to open a new horizon for the $66 billion U.S. retail produce market*.”
Gloeckler has formidable experience from both retail and CPG sectors. Her 10+ years at retail included executive leadership at Walmart serving most recently as EVP Consumables, Health & Wellness and US Manufacturing Lead. During her 21 years at The Hershey Company, she held a variety of sales and customer marketing leadership roles, including Vice President, Strategic Customers and Vice President, Customer Marketing.
From overseeing the merchandising strategies for several key areas at Walmart, totaling more than $78 billion in revenue, to her vast experience in a variety of general management, sales, and customer marketing positions at The Hershey Company, Gloeckler will put her unique point of view to work at Pairwise in support of the company’s mission.
In addition to her new position as the first Independent Director for Pairwise, Gloeckler has a robust background of serving in key roles on a number of boards, including publicly traded firms The Duckhorn Portfolio, Inc., Holley Inc., and BJ’s Wholesale Club Holdings Inc. Additional advisory roles include: Blendid, Peep Performance/Go2 Devices, and the University of Michigan.
Gloeckler joins Pairwise’s established board of investors, advisors, and members, including board Chair Cam Wheeler from Deerfield Management Company (Deerfield), Board Members Ben Belldegrun from Pontifax Global Food and Agriculture Technology Fund (Pontifax AgTech), Derek Norman from Leaps by Bayer, and Pairwise Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder Tom Adams. Board Observers include Ryan Rakestraw, Temasek Holdings, and Haven Baker, Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder.
In February 2021, Pairwise raised $90 million in a successful series B funding round, bringing total fundraising to $115 million when combined with the series A funding round. Additionally, Pairwise has a $100 million, five-year collaboration with Bayer Crop Science to advance gene editing tools in row crops. Pairwise is currently developing new types of leafy greens, berries, and cherries. In three years, the company has grown to over 130 employees with additional anticipated growth in 2022.
*Nielsen xAOC, 2019
About Pairwise
Driven by the belief that whole food should be healthy, delicious, and convenient, Pairwise brings together leaders in agriculture, technology, and consumer foods to harness the transformative potential of new genomics technologies to create innovative new products. Pairwise is working to develop new varieties of crops, and to partner with food and agriculture companies who seek to put nutritious food on tables across North America. The company was founded by CEO Tom Adams and Chief Business Officer Haven Baker, with scientific co-founders J. Keith Joung, Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, David Liu, Director of the Merkin Institute of Transformative Technologies in Healthcare, and Vice-Chair of the Faculty at the Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT; and Feng Zhang, McGovern Investigator and a professor at MIT. For more information, visit www.pairwise.com.