Rachel Konrad is an independent director at Shiru and the former chief communications officer at Impossible Foods. Rachel has also worked for Next Gen Foods, Earth League International (ELI), and Iron Ox.
Konrad began their career as a journalist, covering the technology beat for The Associated Press. Rachel then transitioned into technology PR, first at an agency and then in-house at a variety of startups. In 2016, they joined Impossible Foods as the head of global communications.
At Impossible Foods, Konrad led a team of motivated, mission-driven communicators with a broad cross-functional integration across communications, sustainability, go-to-market strategy, brand, creative, influence, social media, and event management. Rachel helped develop and tell the company's story to key stakeholders including employees, investors, corporate customers, early adopters, policymakers, regulators, media, consumers, and everyone else on Earth. Through earned and social media, user-generated content, and news hijacking, they increased awareness and goodwill for the company from virtually zero.
Konrad oversaw internal, executive, financial, and executive communication; reputation management; crisis communication; and more. Rachel reported directly to Founder and CEO Pat Brown.
In 2021, Konrad left Impossible Foods to become an independent director at Shiru.
Rachel Konrad has a Bachelor's degree in history and journalism from Northwestern University. Rachel is an International Reporting Project fellow at the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.