Mars New Zealand Appoints New General Manager

Mars New Zealand has announced the appointment of Emily Dowling to the role of General Manager.

As General Manager, Emily will oversee the growth and development of the Mars Petcare, Mars Snacking and Mars Food portfolios, including household favourites WHISKAS®, M&M’s® and MASTERFOODSTM while driving the company’s purpose: a better world tomorrow starts with how we do business today.

“Emily’s blend of commercial creativity and purpose-driven leadership will put her in great stead in New Zealand,” says Deri Watkins, Europe Regional President, Mars Petcare. “She has an exceptional record in partnering with customers for growth, and driving the distinctiveness of our brands, and I look forward to seeing her impact on the New Zealand market.”

Emily has more than 18 years of experience working in the FMCG industry across Australia and Europe. She joins the New Zealand Leadership Team from Mars Petcare Australia, where she has served as the Marketing Director since 2018. During her tenure, she led the launch of the TEMPTATIONSTM brand (now the category leader in grocery cat treats); developed Mars Australia’s first Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) online store for the ADVANCETM brand; and engineered the first consumer promotion for The Lion’s Share, a global fundraising initiative for the United Nations Development Programme. In 2021 she was recognised as one of the top fifty Chief Marketing Officers in Australia.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Mars New Zealand,” says Emily. “The team here has always had an outsized impact on Mars’ business globally, particularly on the creative side with truly ground-breaking campaigns like My Hooman, our pet adoption platform. They’ve also demonstrated best in class agility in managing supply chain challenges in recent years, and I’m committed to driving that consistency for our retail partners and consumers.” Emily has relocated with her family and dog to Auckland.

Emily’s appointment follows the departure of Pete Simmons who has decided to leave Mars after 16 years with the business. Rather than explore further overseas opportunities with Mars, Pete and his family have decided to stay locally in New Zealand. In his five years as General Manager, Pete set about leading a program to refocus the business on growth priorities, partnering with customers across the different channels, establishing digital commerce in the business, and developing a strong talent offer - all whilst leading the business through COVID.

Pete has been a proud Mars employee, a passionate believer in our culture, and leaves behind an impressive legacy of business, brand, customer, and people development. Pete has been supporting Emily with a smooth transition and will depart the business on 30 January 2023.

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