Dive Brief:
- Mars, Inc. appointed Kemal Cetin to serve as global chief digital and information officer of its snacking business, the company said Tuesday. The packaged food and beverage veteran hails from Netherlands-based dairy giant FrieslandCampina, where he served most recently as chief business and digital solutions officer.
- Cetin will be tasked with leading the company's digital, data and technology efforts with a focus on growth acceleration effective Aug. 3. He will report to Andrew Clarke, global president of Mars Snacking.
- “Together, we will advance the use of digital technologies, data, analytics and AI capabilities to drive sustainable growth and create lasting value for our consumers, customers, and associates," Cetin said in a press release.
Dive Insight:
Cetin's appointment comes as Mars works to realign its snacking business after the $36 billion acquisition of Kellanova, a deal that closed at the end of last year.
The acquisition also marked the largest food and beverage M&A deal in a decade, bringing household-name brands such as M&Ms, Snickers, Pringles and Pop-Tarts under a single company.
Cetin's background in digital transformation efforts “makes him the right leader at an important moment for our business” amid the integration of Kellanova brands, Clarke said in a press release.
In line with efforts across multiple industries, food brands such as Mars are working to fold AI into operations in search of increased output and lower costs.
In April, Mars struck a deal with Google Cloud to equip workers in its Petcare, Snacking and Food & Nutrition segments with Gemini Enterprise to operate as a central hub to build and access AI tools.
In addition to deploying new technology, Mars is also expanding its physical footprint in the U.S. to support growth in the snacking business. In March, Mars unveiled a $100 million investment plan to expand the snacking division’s Chicago headquarters, adding more than 600 jobs.
