Our Approach to Business
Governance
“I appreciate Mars' willingness to listen to tough questions about their products and business. Their readiness to engage in this kind of challenging dialogue has resulted in tangible improvements in the choices they provide consumers as well as the information needed to make their decisions.”
David Kessler,
Mars Global Advisor
“The establishment of Mars Global Advisors is a signal of Mars' determination to harness external perspectives to help it meet the challenges of a rapidly changing world. The way in which the Advisors have been welcomed into Mars and invited to contribute to its principles-based approach to doing business, in my view, is unique.”
Alan Milburn,
Mars Global Advisor
We are a global company that that is strategically aligned, but acts locally. Our business segments and markets may vary their approaches to reflect the needs of their own customers and markets. But, around the world, we share a commitment to putting our Five Principles in action to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance. Our governance and management structure is set up to ensure clear accountability and adherence to the Mars Five Principles across all business units and business practices and ensure we consistently act with integrity in all our dealings.
“Essence of Mars” and other training and development programs, like our Legal Compliance Training, ensure all Associates understand that they are accountable for applying the Five Principles in their business dealings.
Board of Directors and Management Team
Mars, Incorporated is a privately owned company governed by a Board of Directors who are members of the Mars family. The company is run by a global management team led by President Paul S. Michaels. Read more about the Board and Management Team.
Setting Policy
Our Global Food Policy Group sets globally consistent positions, policies and standards to ensure the Five Principles are reflected in the way we operate, while providing enough freedom to meet regional requirements. The group’s members represent all major functions and business segments. It is led by our Global Head of Public Policy. Our policies and standards cover diverse areas, with examples including our Supplier Code of Conduct, the Mars Marketing Code, and our global Quality and Food Safety Standards. Download all our policies here.
Each of our business segments is putting strategies and resources in place to manage its impacts on people and the planet and to contribute to areas such as health and well-being. We also have measures in place to ensure these approaches are consistent and that best practices are shared across the business. Each segment has a sustainability champion and/or director, who sits on a corporate Sustainability Leadership Team (SLT) alongside the Chief Sustainability Officer. The SLT agrees Mars-wide strategy and policies on matters relating to sustainability and also includes representatives from our manufacturing, sales, marketing, purchasing, corporate affairs and science functions.
A Sustainability Working Group, comprised of corporate-level sustainability managers plus representatives from each segment, develops policies and practices for approval by the SLT, with support from working groups that are developing our strategies for specific issues, such as human rights and sustainable palm oil sourcing.
Mars Global Advisors
Mars, Incorporated also seeks input from outside advisors on issues of importance to its business. The Mars Global Advisors are an advisory-only group of external experts who engage the senior management of Mars, Incorporated in strategic dialogues regarding major public policy, geopolitical and macroeconomic issues and trends, and how they affect business strategies and priorities. Members of the Mars Global Advisors group include:
|
Rosanna Wong |
Executive Director of the Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups |
|
Moises Naim |
Columnist and commentator on globalization, international politics, and economics |
|
Gurcharan Das |
Author and former CEO of Procter & Gamble India |
|
Alan Milburn |
Former Member of U.K. Parliament for Darlington, former U.K. Secretary of State for Health, and advisor on social mobility to the current U.K. administration |
|
David Kessler |
Professor of Pediatrics and Epidemiology and Biostatistics at the School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco; and former Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration |
