Mars Appoints Chief Strategy Officer

MCLEAN, Va., June 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Mars, Incorporated announced today a new senior hire in the business's enterprise-wide transformation agenda. Russell Stokes will join Mars, Incorporated in the newly created role of Chief Strategy Officer.

Mars Chief Financial Officer, Claus Aagaard, said: "I'm delighted to welcome Russell to Mars as our Chief Strategy Officer. In today's dynamic business landscape, change and uncertainty is the new norm and companies have to be relevant, consumer-focused and agile. Russell will bring a depth of knowledge and experience to define and enable our growth plans in the current environment, with a view for the long-term, while helping us continue to create products and services that our customers and consumers love."

In this position, Stokes will be responsible for overseeing Mars' enterprise strategy, portfolio strategy and transformation agenda. In a time when disruption is to be expected, Stokes will play a pivotal role in ensuring that Mars continues innovating and transforming our business in the face of new and fast-paced competition, changing consumer trends and retail environment. He will be based in McLean, Va., and will report to Chief Financial Officer, Claus Aagaard.

Russell Stokes commented, "Mars is a unique company with a rich family history and values-driven legacy. Not only has their culture of growth made them successful – preserving and growing iconic brands like M&M's, Extra, Pedigree and Uncle Ben's, while also building the world's biggest veterinary health group – they have kept their principles at the core of their decision-making. I'm thrilled to join the business at a time when it continues to reinvent itself."

Stokes joins Mars from Whirlpool Corporation, where he was the head of Strategy and Mergers & Acquisitions, and a member of Whirlpool's Executive Committee. Prior to his three years with Whirlpool, Russell was a partner and managing director with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) – working in New York and in Mumbai, India. During his time with BCG he worked extensively with Mars on a range of topics.

Stokes is a graduate of Harvard Business School and received his undergraduate degree from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine in London, UK, where he studied Chemical Engineering and French.

About Mars, Incorporated

Mars is a family-owned business with more than a century of history making diverse products and offering services for people and the pets people love. With more than $35 billion in sales, the company is a global business that produces some of the world's best-loved brands: M&M's^®, SNICKERS^®, TWIX^®, MILKY WAY^®, DOVE^®, PEDIGREE^®, ROYAL CANIN^®, WHISKAS^®, EXTRA^®, ORBIT^®, 5™, SKITTLES^®, UNCLE BEN'S^®, and COCOAVIA^®. Mars Associates proudly take care of half of the world's pets through our nutrition, health and services businesses such as Banfield Pet Hospitals™, BluePearl®, Linnaeus, AniCura, VCA™ and Pet Partners™. Headquartered in McLean, VA, Mars operates in more than 80 countries. The Mars Five Principles – Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom – inspire our more than 125,000 Associates to take action every day to help create a world tomorrow in which the planet, its people and pets can thrive.