Influential Woman · Pet Food Manufacturing

Lydia Molnar

Senior Wet Pet Food Scientist, Mars

Franklin, TN

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Bachelor's in Food Technology for Companion Animals Degree University of Nebraska-Lincoln Degree Bachelor's in Food Science and Technology Degree Minor in Animal Science Degree Master's in Grain Science focusing on Pet Food Processing Degree Kansas State University Degree 2016

Her Story

About Lydia

I've been in the pet food industry for about 10 years, and I've learned a lot in a short period of time in many different areas. I'm very lucky to have a very diverse journey so far, touching everything from being in quality assurance, to working on the supplier side, to working in human food, and ultimately my favorite, which is working in pet food. My journey into this field started with a personal tragedy - when I was in high school, my two dogs got sick from rawhides my dad bought from Menards, and my older dog died in my arms two days later. I had always wanted to be a veterinarian, but I don't do well with blood and didn't want to put animals down, so I decided to go into the pet food industry to help others and prevent what happened to my pets from happening to others. In my current role, I work on wet product development and specifically on co-manufactured projects. I meet with the wet product development team and work internationally with other teams, collaborating with key stakeholders including marketing, project management, quality assurance, nutrition, and formulation to develop new concepts and go through the R&D process. One of my most notable achievements was getting my master's degree, which taught me a lot and gave me the tools on how to think and made me realize there was a lot more to learn. I'm proud that I was able to achieve that, knowing that only a small percentage of women have upper-level degrees. In terms of actual industry achievements, I was excited in the last year to develop Caesar Multi-Serve and Caesar Warm Bowls. Caesar Warm Bowls was extremely exciting because it's something that can be microwaved - it's like making a roast that can be heated up and smells just like pot roast, giving that aroma for both the pet and the pet parent relationship. I was very proud of that concept because it's one of the first products in the market that can be microwavable for pets.

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Lydia

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to a combination of hard work and networking. I've worked really hard and shown what I can do, and I've networked really hard in the industry. I think that's helped me get to where I am today. It's about putting in the effort to demonstrate your capabilities while also building strong relationships and connections throughout the industry.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

Don't ever be afraid to ask questions. This advice has been fundamental to my career growth and learning. It's helped me continuously learn and develop throughout my journey in the pet food industry.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

I would say not to be afraid to step up and take those leadership roles, not to be afraid to ask what your next steps are and what you can do to grow in your industry, and not be afraid to take risks. If you would have asked me what my career path would have looked like, I wouldn't have expected it to be the journey that I have, and I wasn't afraid to go into different fields and different companies. Sometimes I would take roles that I didn't think I was necessarily qualified for, and it's that stretching and growing and having the confidence to do those things. So, follow your heart, follow your passion, and don't be afraid to ask what it's going to take to go to the next steps. If you can't find it within the current company you work for, interview and work with others, network with others to help you get to what that next step is. It's just not being afraid, because at one point, I know the pet food industry was more men than women, and I would say it's probably about 50-50 now, because women are willing to step up, do the education, ask the questions, and get the experience in the field.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

I would say one of the biggest challenges that I've seen as a whole is really educating the pet parents. Working with consumers and educating them is critical because people tend to listen to one thing, or they hear a blogger out there, and then they run with it. I have a colleague that works for the consulting firm I used to work for, and she just started doing Instagram Reels called Ask Dr. Steph, and she kind of debunks a lot of the misinformation in the industry. I hope that more people will do things like that, because you'll get people who don't have any knowledge or experience in our industry, and they will say things, and it spreads quickly. So I would say false information getting spread, or information being released before all the data is available, is one of the biggest struggles. DCM was a big one. I think that's one of the biggest struggles that I have seen - trying to help educate and showing and improving through science.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

I believe it's important to have really good morals and ethics, and that goes for both personal and professional purposes. When I make decisions, I'm always making decisions that are best for the animals. At the end of the day, that comes first, before anything else. It's not always about money and things like that, and so that's why morals and ethics are very important. I won't overdevelop something I think would make an animal sick. The wellbeing of the animals is my top priority in everything I do.

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