Liotécnica

A chemical engineer with deep expertise in R&D and innovation, Federico Alfredo Kladt Kladt has led product development across food, cosmetics and beverages. He spent over a decade at Bunge in R&D and production, later returning as Innovation Manager. After earning his MBA in the U.S., he held leadership roles at a fruit bar company and Natura, overseeing end-to-end product development. He later launched a consulting firm before joining Liotécnica, where he now leads R&D, Innovation and Regulatory Affairs.

In this interview, Kladt emphasizes separating R&D from innovation to balance reliable delivery with breakthrough creativity while fostering a culture that embraces measured risk and failure. He also highlights precision measurement and transparency as essential for sustainable leadership and consumer trust.

Driving Transparency and Trust in Consumer Products

I help food, beverage and cosmetics brands align with what today’s consumers’ value most—transparency, natural ingredients and authentic confidence.

In food and beverage, I guide companies away from ultra-processed products toward clean-label formulations consumers’ trust. People want simple, recognizable ingredients—natural, honest and wholesome. I work with clients to reformulate using natural or near-natural components, maintaining taste, quality and compliance.

In cosmetics, my focus goes beyond ingredients to the emotional experience. Consumers seek more than skincare or haircare— they want products that boost confidence and self-esteem. Whether fragrance, moisturizer or styling product, I help brands create solutions that empower daily self-care. By combining innovation with storytelling, I enable brands to forge deeper emotional connections.

The real challenge—and opportunity—is balancing transparency, authenticity and emotional resonance. With strategic guidance, I help brands turn evolving consumer expectations into lasting competitive advantage, building trust, loyalty and relevance.

Strategic Innovation Starts with Structural Separation

Clarity in innovation is central to my approach. I help companies unlock sustainable growth by redefining how they manage research, development and innovation. A key lesson—and core service I provide—is guiding organizations to structurally separate R&D from innovation. Though both are essential, they serve different purposes and require distinct mindsets, teams and resources.

By building focused, results-driven R&D teams, I enable clients to deliver products on time and with precision. These teams work within clear timelines, executing disciplined launches and ongoing improvements—creating the structure and momentum needed to meet market demands without sacrificing quality.

“Innovators are not machines. They’re more like artists. They work in cycles, trying, failing, adjusting and returning. If they’re treated like production units, they stop taking creative risks. That risk-aversion spreads and innovation slows to maintenance.”

Innovation operates differently. It is exploratory, uncertain and risky—because not every idea will succeed. That’s why I recommend dedicated innovation teams independent from R&D. These teams have the freedom to experiment, iterate and sometimes fail, all in pursuit of breakthrough, game-changing ideas.

I also help organizations set aside a dedicated innovation budget—typically about 0.5 percent of revenues—separate from R&D funding. This budget should be fully invested, seen as an investment in possibility rather than a cost to minimize. With this, teams can explore bold concepts, knowing occasional successes can redefine the company’s future.

By clearly defining R&D as the engine for reliable delivery and innovation as the driver of transformational growth, I empower brands to thrive and lead in today’s competitive landscape.

Balancing Risk and Structure to drive what’s next

As an R&D&I Director, I create environments where failure— especially in innovation—is expected and accepted. I tell my teams we need ten ideas for five to succeed. Even if only half our projects reach market, that’s a win. In innovation, a 30 percent success rate isn’t just acceptable—it’s healthy.

In R&D, I target a higher success rate—around 60 percent. Still, not every project succeeds. I build cultures where failure is normalized and incomplete or abandoned projects are seen as vital steps in discovery. This keeps teams motivated by framing failure as progress.

This mindset contrasts with production, where mistakes carry real costs and must be minimized. But in R&D and innovation, errors are essential learning moments. If innovation teams aren’t failing sometimes, they’re not pushing far enough.

I also advise clients to dedicate a separate innovation budget— typically 0.5 percent of revenues—distinct from R&D funding. This budget should be fully spent as an investment in potential, enabling teams to explore bold ideas without fear of cuts after early failures.

What I bring is clarity—helping companies’ structure innovation to deliver by separating it from R&D into parallel engines: one for reliable delivery, the other for radical discovery. Real growth— repeatable and breakthrough—requires both, managed on their own terms.

Precision Measurement Fuels Sustainable Executive Leadership

When I work with companies, my first question isn’t “What’s your ESG strategy?” but “Can you measure your impact?” Without measurement, there’s no control—and without control, sustainability is just a story, not a strategy. I help companies define, measure and operationalize their environmental and social footprints in meaningful, achievable ways.

From carbon and water to community engagement and impact metrics, my work turns abstract ESG goals into tangible, trackable outcomes. At Natura, I saw how precise metrics enabled informed action—not a trend, but a necessity. Measurement is complex, requiring sophisticated tools, deep operational insight and often expert external support.

Once measurement happens, everything changes. Clarity emerges—real goals are set, teams engage and focus shifts from messaging to measurable progress.

Today, environmental metrics—once the ESG spotlight—have shifted as social impact through community support and equity gains prominence. Both “E” and “S” must work together, grounded in rigorous measurement to drive real change.

For companies committed to impact, I start where it matters— understanding their current standing. When what matters is measured, what’s possible can be managed—and leadership follows with purpose.

Empowering Teams with Freedom over Perfection

In today’s fast-changing industries, R&D is often seen as a technical, linear process aimed at flawless delivery. But I view R&D as an art—a creative journey needing uncertainty, exploration and, most importantly, freedom to experiment.

Leading R&D means treating innovators like artists. Artists don’t produce perfect work on demand; they create through trial, error and iteration. Some ideas succeed, others fail, but every step is vital to breakthroughs. Rigid structures that punish mistakes risk turning teams into robotic production lines—efficient but uninspired, delivering products without true innovation.

I urge leaders to embrace this mindset: give teams permission to fail. Foster environments where creativity thrives, risk-taking is welcomed and learning from failure is valued. This empowerment helps people push boundaries and unlock innovations that can transform business and market.

Innovation isn’t about avoiding mistakes—it’s about managing them as part of the creative process. Leading R&D like artists, not automatons, opens the door to bold originality and lasting impact.