Luba Safran, who spent seven years at AB InBev’s CVC arm, joined Mondelēz’s counterpart as a senior director to back emerging snack brands.
Luba Safran, who departed from Belgian brewer AB InBev’s ZX Ventures subsidiary in August 2022, has taken another corporate venturing job at SnackFutures, part of US food producer Mondelēz International.
SnackFutures was founded in 2018 and backs snacking brands and technologies. Safran has assumed a senior director role at the unit, which is being led by Richie Gray, vice president and global head.
“A new year brings new opportunities,” Safran said on LinkedIn. “I’m looking forward to building the future of snacking together with a great team.”
Safran joined AB InBev in 2013 as a global innovation manager before being appointed a director at ZX Ventures two years later, shortly after its launch.
ZX Ventures targets companies developing technologies and products to promote sustainability, agility and ecommerce for the beverage industry as well as new business areas in the leisure sector.
At ZX Ventures, Safran first explored investment opportunities in the cannabis industry, identifying expansion areas for AB InBev. She became head of new ventures in 2019 and eventually took up a growth fund partner position in early 2021, focusing on future of socialising, including healthy drinks, gaming and esports.
