Joanna Hwu

Joanna Hwu, Sr. Director Cocoa Plant Science & Operations, Mars, is a seasoned R&D leader with over 26 years of diversified experience across various areas: product development and innovation, confectionery science and technology, cacao plant science, and research infrastructure operations. In her current role, she empowers her teams at the Mars Plant Science Center and field research sites across cocoa origins to deliver breakthrough science. Her primary objective is to accelerate positive impact for the entire cocoa ecosystem by focusing on technology deployment and farmer adoption.

For the last seven years, Joanna has focused on the cocoa sector, driven by a commitment to fostering innovation and sustainability in cocoa farming through robust data and field insights. She also brings valuable experience from leading the R&D function as part of the country business management teams in high-growth markets of China and Mexico.

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and a master’s in product design and development from Northwestern University.