Betsy DeHaas Holden (born October 19, 1955) is an American businesswoman and corporate director of the Tribune Company. Holden is a senior advisor to

McKinsey & Company McKinsey & Company is a global management consulting firm founded in 1926 by University of Chicago professor James O. McKinsey, that offers professional services to corporations, governments, and other organizations. McKinsey is the oldest and ...

and a member of the Duke University board of trustees. From 2001 to 2004, Holden served as co-CEO of Kraft Foods.

Early life

Holden was born in

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the northw ...

, and raised in Washington, Pennsylvania. Her father was an obstetrician and her mother was a former accountant. Holden received her B.A. from

Duke University Duke University is a private research university in Durham, North Carolina. Founded by Methodists and Quakers in the present-day city of Trinity in 1838, the school moved to Durham in 1892. In 1924, tobacco and electric power industrialist James ...

in 1977, and an

M.Ed. The Master of Education (MEd or M.Ed. or Ed.M.; Latin ''Magister Educationis'' or ''Educationis Magister'') is a master's degree awarded by university, universities in many countries. This degree in education often includes the following majors: ...

and an MBA from Northwestern University in 1978 & 1982.

Career

Holden began her career as an assistant product manager in the desserts division of General Foods Corporation. In 1998, Holden was named executive vice president of Kraft Foods. In 2000, she was named president and CEO of Kraft Foods North America, and then in 2001 became co-CEO of Kraft Foods. In 2004, Holden was named president of Global Marketing and Category Development. She resigned from Kraft Foods Inc in 2005.

References

1955 births Living people Duke University alumni McKinsey & Company people Northwestern University alumni Kellogg School of Management alumni 20th-century American businesspeople 20th-century American businesswomen 21st-century American women {{US-business-bio-1950s-stub