Bell Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. has announced strategic promotions within the company’s flavor and fragrance divisions, as well as consumer & sensory science and customer service departments, at its global headquarters in Northbrook, IL.

“Bell Flavors & Fragrances continues to grow thanks to the strategic leadership of these individuals and the impact their teams are having on employee engagement and the customer experience,” notes Ron Stark, president & CEO.

Flavor division

Benjamin Stanley, CRC has been promoted to director of sweet applications at Bell’s global headquarters. In his new role, Stanley will continue to grow Bell’s Sweet Dairy business and serve as lead technical support. He will also co-lead a cross-functional team leveraging Bell’s more than 110-year-long intellectual property legacy by curating internal technology capabilities and expanding them to new applications.

Stanley holds a bachelor’s degree in culinary arts from Kendall College and a master’s degree in Innovation through Northeastern University’s D’Amore McKim School of Business. He is certified as a research chef by the Research Chef’s Association.

Vuk Levakov has been promoted to senior director of beverage applications at Bell’s global headquarters.

In his new role, Levakov will continue to manage Bell’s Beverage Applications team and collaborate with cross-functional partners to develop and execute strategic plans. His additional responsibilities involve creating efficient processes and procedures for the team and improving the customer experience for Bell’s beverage clients.

Levakov holds a Master of Science degree in food science and human nutrition from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Andrew Petrou has been promoted to flavorist, savory lab manager at Bell’s global headquarters.

In his new role, Petrou will lead day-to-day operations of Bell’s Savory Lab and spearhead the development of savory innovations and commercial projects to deliver best-in-class results to Bell’s customers. He will also continue training and educating a new generation of future flavorists.

Petrou holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and in 2023 became certified member of the American Society of Flavor Chemists.

Fragrance division

Melissa Scharoff has been promoted to junior perfumer and fragrance evaluation manager at Bell’s global headquarters.

In her new role, Scharoff will begin working as a junior perfumer, creating fragrances under the guidance of the perfumery team while continuing to work as a Fragrance Evaluator within the Fragrance Development Team.

Scharoff holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Rochester and was recently accepted as a member of the American Society of Perfumers.

Consumer & sensory science department

Karen Graves has been promoted to vice president of shared technical services at Bell’s global headquarters.

In her new role, Graves will lead the development and execution of the strategic vision and best-in-class service levels for Bell’s technical teams. She will also co-lead a cross-functional team leveraging Bell’s over 110-year-long intellectual property legacy by curating internal technology capabilities and expanding them to new applications.

Graves earned her bachelor’s degree in food industry and business and master’s degree in food science, specializing in sensory science, from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I). She also holds a certificate in business administration from U of I.

Customer service department

Susan Payton has been promoted to vice president of customer service at Bell’s global headquarters.

Payton will be at the forefront of elevating customer satisfaction in her new role, overseeing and guiding Bell’s customer service operations. Her responsibilities include devising and executing strategies to enrich the customer experience, efficiently addressing challenges and fostering ongoing enhancements in Bell’s customer service processes.

Payton holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.