New CTO and Chief Innovation Architect signal continued investment in AI, product excellence, and next-generation food and beverage intelligence
CHICAGO, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Datassential, the leading food and beverage intelligence platform, today announced the appointment of Benn Salter as Chief Technology Officer and Jake Widmer as Chief Innovation Architect, reinforcing the company’s commitment to AI-driven innovation and accelerated product development.
As the food and beverage industry navigates rapidly shifting consumer preferences, economic pressures, and increasing data complexity, Datassential is investing heavily in technology, AI, and scalable platforms that help customers move faster from insight to action. These executive appointments mark a significant step forward in that strategy and will help to accelerate Datassential’s next phase of AI-driven product innovation, designed to turn complex food and beverage data into clear, decision-ready intelligence.
Benn Salter brings more than 25 years of experience building and scaling software and AI-driven products across startups and global enterprises. Throughout his career, Salter has led engineering organizations from early-stage product development through large-scale delivery, with deep expertise in generative AI, SaaS platforms, and cloud-based systems.
Prior to joining Datassential, Salter held senior technology roles at venture-backed startups and Accenture Interactive, building high-performing teams and leading complex digital initiatives in close partnership with executive leadership. As CTO, he will lead Datassential’s technology and engineering strategy, supporting scalable, reliable innovation across the platform.
Joining Salter is Jake Widmer, who will serve as Chief Innovation Architect, spearheading Datassential’s AI and innovation roadmap. Widmer most recently served as Chief Technology Officer at Expert Institute, where he joined as the founding engineer and played a critical role in scaling the legal-tech platform through a successful private equity-backed acquisition. He architected AI-driven intelligence products and built the data infrastructure powering real-time analytics across millions of documents, dramatically reducing complex workflows from months to minutes. At Datassential, Widmer will focus on applying AI and machine learning to transform how food and beverage leaders harness data to drive smarter, faster decisions.
“These appointments represent a pivotal moment for Datassential as we continue to invest in product innovation and AI to better serve the food and beverage industry,” said Jim Emling, Chief Executive Officer of Datassential. “Benn and Jake bring deep technical leadership and a shared passion for building scalable, intelligent platforms. Their expertise will help us accelerate our roadmap and deliver more powerful, optimized solutions that enable our customers to anticipate change and act with confidence.”
Together, Salter and Widmer will play a central role in advancing Datassential’s product strategy, leveraging AI to unlock predictive insights, streamline workflows, and empower manufacturers, operators, and retailers to stay ahead of what’s next. To learn more, visit Datassential.com.
About Datassential
Datassential is the global authority for food and beverage intelligence, helping brands, operators, and retailers make confident decisions in a complex and fast-changing industry. Founded in 2001, the company delivers trusted food intelligence through its all-in-one platform, Datassential One, which brings together menu, consumer, and sales intelligence alongside AI-powered analysis. More than 90% of the leading foodservice and consumer packaged goods companies rely on Datassential to understand market change and stay ahead of what’s next.
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SOURCE Datassential