MINNEAPOLIS — International Dairy Queen, Inc. named Jane Friedrich its new executive vice president, research and development.

The company said Friedrich will oversee a team to research and develop ingredients and menu items, as well as food safety, quality and regulatory standards across the global company.

Friedrich joins International Dairy Queen from Cargill, where she was most recently animal nutrition research and development and innovation leader. She joined Cargill in July 2000 as a senior research scientist and held several leadership positions within the company for more than 20 years.

“Our success is built upon developing and innovating new treat and hot food products that attract new customers and keep existing fans coming back for more,” said Troy Bader, president and chief executive officer at International Dairy Queen. “Jane’s decades of increasingly successful research and development experience, paired with leadership in food safety and quality, position her well to lead and grow our global business to the next level.”

Said Friedrich: “Providing business results and leading successful teams are my primary focus areas. I look forward to innovating products and enhancing quality to deliver flavors that meet the evolving tastes of consumers around the world.”

She earned doctoral and master’s degrees in food science from Cornell University, as well as a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of St. Thomas-Minnesota.