Mars Belgium appoints new country leads for its business units
Category-targeted expertise to drive innovation and growth
Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, 17 december 2024
Read this story in French: Mars Belgium nomme de nouveaux country leads pour ses business units(Opens a new window)
Read this story in Dutch: Mars Belgium benoemt nieuwe country leads per business unit(Opens a new window)
Mars Belgium, known for its iconic brands such as M&M'S, SNICKERS, WHISKAS, PEDIGREE and BEN'S ORIGINAL™, has announced the appointment of three new country leads to succeed An De Volder. These experienced leaders will take over the reins of the following three business units in Belux: Snacking, Petcare and Food & Nutrition. Their solid expertise and in-depth knowledge of their respective sectors will significantly strengthen Mars Belgium's position as a leader in innovation and customer focus. This new structure reflects Mars Belgium's commitment to enhancing sector expertise while meeting the ever-changing needs of consumers and customers. In addition, this change marks an important turning point in the career of An De Volder, who has just been appointed to an international position within Mars Snacking.
Three categories for three country leads
The appointment of a country lead for each flagship category reflects Mars Belgium's ambition to accelerate innovation and develop even more customer-focused solutions. This new structure also aims to ensure sustainable growth as well as long-term relevance in the Belgian market.
Suzan Dindo, Country General Manager Mars Snacking
First of all, Suzan Dindo has been appointed Country General Manager Mars Snacking Belux. She has been with Mars Wrigley since 2015 and has played a key role in the company's growth through various leadership roles in sales, marketing, and distribution. More recently, her position as Strategy & Operational Planning Manager at Mars Wrigley France has allowed her to gain solid experience for this new role. "I am very much looking forward to this new challenge and continuing to build our joint success with our customers," says Suzan. "By leveraging our broad expertise in the snack category, we can drive sustainable growth. Sustainability is at the heart of our approach, and we share this ambition with our customers. Together, we can make a difference and contribute to a better future for generations to come."
Annemie Huenaerts, Country Director Mars Pet Nutrition Belux
For the Mars Pet Nutrition division, Annemie Huenaerts now holds the role of Country Director Mars Pet Nutrition Belux. Since joining Mars in 2006, she has held various commercial and strategic positions. For the past seven years, she has been part of the sales management team in Belgium. "I am proud to be able to bring Mars Petcare's global purpose ‘A Better World for Pets' to life by working closely with our customers, colleagues and partners," says Annemie. "With our expertise in animal nutrition and our approach focused on pets and their families, we can create value together. In addition, our employees are our greatest strength: their commitment, experience and expertise are essential for the future of our company."
Nathan Huybrechts, Business Development Lead Food & Nutrition BeLux
Nathan Huybrechts, becomes the new Business Development Lead Food & Nutrition Belux. After joining Mars Belgium in 2017, he enriched his experience at Mars Pet Nutrition in the UK, before returning to Belgium in October 2021. Since joining Mars, he has held key positions, including Category Strategy Manager for Mars Multisales and Sales Director Food. This background, along with his strategic vision and customer-centric approach, make him the ideal leader for his new role. Nathan explains: "I am proud to work with a team of passionate foodies at Mars Food & Nutrition. Together, we are committed to achieving our segment purpose "Better Food Today. A Better World Tomorrow", by offering healthier, tastier and more accessible food throughout the region. To do this, we draw on our industry knowledge and work closely with our customers and partners."
An De Volder, Director Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (ITR)
Finally, An De Volder is leaving her position as General Manager of Mars Multisales Belgium and General Manager ad interim of the Multisales Belux-Austria-Switzerland cluster to take on a new international challenge. As the new Market Director for Mars Wrigley International Travel Retail (ITR), An will lead a global team responsible for Mars Wrigley’s operations in key international travel locations, including airports and cruises. "I am confident that the new country leads will succeed in developing their respective categories, together with our customers and business partners," says An. "I wish them and their teams every success in this new challenge."
About Mars
Mars, Incorporated is one of the fastest growing food companies in the world, with more than 140,000 associates in over 80 countries. This privately held, family-owned company manufactures and distributes some of the world’s most popular brands, including M&M’s®, Snickers®, Twix®, Mars®, Balisto® and Bounty®, Ben’s Original™, Pedigree®, Cesar®, Frolic®, Whiskas® and Sheba®.
Mars has been active on the Belgian market since 1962, in the Petcare, Chocolate and Food (rice, wheat, pasta and sauces) segments. In 2022, Mars Belgium generated sales of €296 million. The two sites in Sint-Stevens-Woluwe and the third in Olen employ a total of 325 people. Mars Belgium is an active member of BACA: Belgian Alliance for Climate Change Action and Beyond Chocolate, the Belgian ISCO platform for responsibly sourced chocolate.
