Where is the cheese lady? New Cadbury boss loves posing for daft photoshoots but WON'T meet workers she made redundant


Irene Rosenfeld is paid more than £10milllion a year and is ranked as the second-most powerful woman in the world by Forbes magazine.

But to the British public and MPs keen to question the chief executive of Kraft over the US food giant’s hostile takeover of Cadbury, she might as well be the invisible woman.

Last week Ms Rosenfeld, 57, refused for the second time to attend a meeting in London of the influential Commons Business, Innovation and Skills Committee to explain why she and Kraft broke promises that led to almost 500 workers at the firm’s plant in Keynsham, near Bristol, losing their jobs.

Irene Rosenfeld

Big cheese: CEO of Kraft Irene Rosenfeld plugs her company's dairy goods in a bizarre photoshoot

New conquest: Ms Rosenfeld lines up in front of some of 'her' Cadbury products

New conquest: Ms Rosenfeld lines up in front of some of 'her' Cadbury products

So The Mail on Sunday decided to try to track down the elusive, twice-married Ms Rosenfeld in Chicago, where her job as the world’s top female boss earned her a pay-and-perks package worth £17.5 million in 2009 and £11.1 million last year.

Also making the 4,000-mile trip was Vince Frankcom, 50, who was made redundant last month after 11 years at the Bristol plant.

He was one of four members of his family, including his wife Jane, who were ‘let go’. Between them, they gave 77 years’ service to Cadbury, only to be thrown on the scrapheap by its new American owners.

But like the Commons committee of MPs, Vince, an ex-Guardsman and former club rugby player, did not get the chance to meet Ms Rosenfeld.

She was ‘not available’ at Kraft’s huge, global corporate headquarters at Northfield – 19 miles north of Chicago – the centre of brands including Oreo cookies, Kraft cheese and now Cadbury Creme Eggs and Dairy Milk.

Nor was there any sign of her at the imposing £3 million, four-bedroom, four-bathroom mansion overlooking Lake Michigan where she lives with her second husband Richard Illgen.

Come on, Irene! Reporter Christopher Leake and former Cadbury's worker Vince Frankcom wait outside Ms Rosenfeld's home. She didn't answer

Come on, Irene! Reporter Christopher Leake and former Cadbury's worker Vince Frankcom wait outside Ms Rosenfeld's home in Kenilworth, Illinois. She didn't answer

Sweet riches: Ms Rosenfeld's £3million mansion backs on to Lake Michigan

Sweet riches: Ms Rosenfeld's £3million mansion backs on to Lake Michigan

The large, detached red-brick mansion is at the end of an exclusive cul-de-sac and boasts a three-car garage and wooden steps leading from the back garden to the lake. The millionaires’ row of Kenilworth, where Ms Rosenfeld lives, 17 miles north of Chicago, is the wealthiest and most exclusive community in America’s Mid-West.

‘Cadbury was always a family firm and we all looked after each other. Now, that has all gone and 80 years of history has been wiped from the map'

Former employee Vince Frankcom


Every house in the neighbourhood of just half a square mile is worth at least £1 million, while Ms Rosenfeld’s is valued at three times that.

The Mail on Sunday had hoped to deliver in person a letter to Ms Rosenfeld written by Commons business committee chairman Adrian Bailey.

The MP wanted to know why the Kraft chief snubbed his committee by sending three underlings – in effect, cocking a snook at Britain, Cadbury’s workers and the UK Parliament.

But, more importantly, Mr Bailey wants to ask Ms Rosenfeld why before the Kraft takeover she said she thought there would be no net loss of UK jobs, only to perform a U-turn.

Then there is the question as to whether some Cadbury jobs are moving to Kraft’s European headquarters in Zurich so the company can avoid paying corporation tax in the UK.

Disappointingly, the reclusive Ms Rosenfeld – born in Brooklyn, New York and the holder of a PhD in marketing and statistics from Cornell University – was nowhere to be seen.

Cadbury heroes: Christopher and Vince approach Kraft's massive headquarters at Northfield

Cadbury heroes: Christopher and Vince approach Kraft's massive headquarters at Northfield

‘She’s probably hiding under a desk inside that ugly headquarters of hers,’ said Vince, who was determined to come face to face with the woman he says ‘has ruined my family’s life and shattered our dreams’.

So, at lunchtime on Friday, The Mail on Sunday and Vince tried to arrange a meeting with Ms Rosenfeld. This was never going to be easy.

Her secretary Carol was not even prepared to say whether her boss was in the US, and failed to return our phone calls.

So we were left with one option: to try to track her down at her office.

Kraft’s headquarters in Northfield, about four miles from Ms Rosenfeld’s home, is so large its seven wings are called streets. The four-storey complex is surrounded by lakes and has walking trails for the 10,000 employees.

As we walked into the reception, Vince remarked: ‘So this is where they ruined my life.’

Inside, signs remind visitors that the use of cameras and audio equipment is banned. The receptionist took our details and said she would see if Ms Rosenfeld was available.

Twenty minutes later, wearing his corporate ‘dress down Friday’ casual shirt and jeans, public relations director Mike Mitchell walked towards us, clipboard in hand.

Cheesed off: Christopher and Vince get no joy from PR man Mike Mitchell

Cheesed off: Christopher and Vince get no joy from PR man Mike Mitchell

Looking tense and uncomfortable – especially when Vince was introduced as ‘one of the guys sacked by Irene Rosenfeld’ – Mr Mitchell spent the next 20 minutes stonewalling every question.

Was Ms Rosenfeld in the building? Where was she? Was she hiding somewhere? Was she in the US or abroad?

‘We are not in the habit of publishing her schedule,’ he replied. ‘I don’t know where she is physically.’

Would his boss attend a future meeting of the Commons committee as requested by its chairman?

‘We are satisfied we sent the appropriate people to answer the committee’s questions and I have nothing to add to what they said.’

What about Vince and his family who had lost their livelihoods?

‘Well, I’m sorry about that,’ said Mr Mitchell, who has never visited the Bristol plant.

So, would Ms Rosenfeld like to apologise, too? Mr Mitchell looked sheepish and replied: ‘I do not know if she has said she is sorry people lost their jobs.’

Painful truth: Cadbury's Keynsham plant in Bristol, which Kraft have closed despite promising not to

Painful truth: Cadbury's Keynsham plant in Bristol, which Kraft have closed despite promising not to

Vince said: ‘I haven’t had any apology from her and I want one, not just on behalf of myself and my family, but for the youngsters in my area who will find it really hard now to get a job.’

Handing Mr Mitchell a personal statement for Ms Rosenfeld, Vince added: ‘I thought I had a job for life when Kraft said they would keep my plant open, but just a week after they took over last year, they changed their minds.

‘Cadbury was always a family firm and we all looked after each other. Now, that has all gone and 80 years of history has been wiped from the map.’

Vince – a proud, tough and hard-working man – had tears in his eyes as he told Mr Mitchell: ‘I think the Cadbury workers deserve an apology from your chairman.’

The PR man said: ‘I will pass on these letters to the chairman.’

It was the first time Vince had flown anywhere. But he said last night: ‘It was well worth the trip even though I do not expect to get a reply from Rosenfeld. I’ve seen her house. It’s bloody enormous. Why should she care about an ordinary working chap like me?’

Mr Bailey said: ‘These are the questions we would have liked to have asked Irene Rosenfeld. The British public have a right to the answers.’

Yesterday, when The Mail on Sunday made a final attempt to speak to Ms Rosenfeld, our reporter was challenged by an officer from Kenilworth police.

Officer LeBeau asked to check our ID.

Having done so, he said: ‘I know what you guys are up to and I know you’re only trying to do your jobs.’