As veteran CMO Bruce McColl retires, Andrew Clarke to assume new role of Chief Marketing & Customer Officer

McLEAN, VA, April 29, 2016 – To address the dynamic shifts in retail, ecommerce and consumer shopping behaviors, Mars is taking a fresh approach to stewarding and connecting its sales and marketing.

Andrew Clarke, the company’s Chief Customer Officer since 2015, will be promoted to the newly created role of Chief Marketing & Customer Officer. He will oversee the teams that deliver expertise in Media, Consumer Marketing, Customer and Sales. The move comes as Bruce McColl, a 24-year veteran of Mars and the company’s Chief Marketing Officer since 2006, prepares to retire from the business in June.

Mars, Incorporated President & CEO Grant F. Reid commented: “Marketplace dynamics are blurring the lines between sales and marketing. Retail and shopper trends are moving at a remarkable pace and Digital is providing new routes to reach consumers that blend advertising and selling. We’re evolving our approach to advance the way our marketing and customer strategies work together to address these trends.”

Clarke and McColl have co-created the company’s strategy to look at ‘demand’ in a more integrated way over the last year. Clarke will lead the strategy going forward, building on his 15 years of experience at Mars; his leadership in general management; knowledge of the company’s diverse categories; and work in both developing and developed markets. As Chief Customer Officer, Clarke has led the company’s quest to become more agile in the face of changing retail trends, and to advance category building relationships with Mars’ customers.

“Mars has tremendous brands supported by world-class marketing communications, and that will continue as the expert CMOs in our segments drive creativity and innovation,” said Clarke. “Building on that, consumers are demanding a more seamless brand experience, and we have an opportunity to grow our categories with our brands and our customers. In this new role I see myself as a connector between our muscle in marketing and our strength in sales, and I couldn’t be more excited about the opportunity.”

Mars has been recognized for award-winning creative across the globe – including more than 180 Cannes awards since 1990, a 2012 Mars win as Cannes Global Advertiser of the Year and the 2015 Client of the Year at the prestigious The One Show. This commitment to creative and marketing excellence will continue to be the focus of Mars marketers and its agency partners BBDO, DDB and Mediacom.

Said Grant Reid: “Bruce McColl will be missed by everyone who works with him. His stewardship of our global agency relationships and collaboration with the marketing community at Mars have resulted in a legacy of brand-building, and a team of great marketers who are elemental to our success with consumers and customers. I’m personally grateful for all he has done for Mars and wish him every happiness in his retirement.”

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars, Incorporated is a private, family-owned business with more than a century of history and some of the best-loved brands in the world including M&M’S®, PEDIGREE®, DOUBLEMINT® and UNCLE BEN’S®. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars has more than $33 billion in sales from six diverse business segments: Petcare, Chocolate, Wrigley, Food, Drinks and Symbioscience. More than 80,000 Associates across 78 countries are united by the company’s Five Principles: Quality, Efficiency, Responsibility, Mutuality and Freedom and strive every day to create relationships with stakeholders that deliver growth we are proud of as a company.

For more information about Mars, Incorporated, please visit www.mars.com. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube.