Mars Appoints Manish Syag as MD for its Pet Nutrition Business
Mars, Incorporated has disclosed the selection of Manish Syag as the Managing Director of its Pet Nutrition sector in India. Manish will be responsible for overseeing the operations of the division which includes popular pet food brands such as PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA®, and others.
Manish has more than 20 years of experience in FMCG leadership, having served in senior sales leadership positions at Hindustan Unilever (HUL) and GSK Consumer Healthcare. He became the Chief Sales Officer at Mars in 2024 and has been instrumental in shaping the future growth of Mars India's pet nutrition sector.
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A graduate of IIM Lucknow, Manish is recognized for his excellent leadership skills and ability to grow businesses while developing high-performing teams.
In his new role, Manish will focus on driving growth in India, enhancing operational capabilities, and solidifying the company's position in the pet food industry, one of the rapidly growing sectors in FMCG.
Speaking on his appointment, Manish Syag says, “India is at a defining moment for the pet food market, which is expected to grow into a $2 billion category in a decade, evolving much as mainstream FMCG did in its early growth years, driven by access, awareness, and trust”.
“I am excited to take on this role and lead the next phase of growth for our business in India, serving pets and pet parents across the country with trusted, high-quality packaged pet food by further strengthening our portfolio of deeply loved brands and expanding our market presence”.
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“At the heart of this journey will be our Mars Five Principles, and our Purpose: “A Better World For Pets”.
Manish takes over from Salil Murthy, who has been promoted to the position of global vice president of enterprise transformation at Mars Pet Nutrition.
In his new role, Salil will dedicate his efforts to advancing the long-term transformation agenda of Mars Pet Nutrition, enhancing leadership and organizational capacity, and promoting growth by establishing a more streamlined, agile, and forward-looking operational structure. Salil will be stationed in London, where Mars Pet Nutrition's global headquarters is located.
Talking about his new role, Salil Murthy says, “I am excited to take on this new global role and help shape the future of Mars Pet Nutrition”.
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“This role offers an opportunity to focus on driving accelerated growth for the global Pet Nutrition business through unleashing the power of our associates across the world, strengthening our strategic resource allocation process and our digital and AI capabilities, and accelerating transformation to win with pet parents and our customers in every market”.
“Leading the India Pet Nutrition business has been deeply fulfilling, and I'm incredibly proud of the growth we have driven and the high-performing team we have built over the last few years. I have every confidence in Manish’s leadership to take the business forward in its next phase of growth”.
Francisco Fernandez, regional president, Mars Pet Nutrition - rapid growth markets says, “India is one of the most important growth markets for Mars Pet Nutrition. Salil’s elevation reflects the strong, purpose-led business he and the team have built in India and the depth of leadership talent emerging from this market”.
“Manish’s appointment demonstrates our confidence in his expertise, leadership capability, and deep understanding of pet parents and customers in India. Together, these appointments reinforce our commitment to developing leaders from within and further strengthening India’s role in our global strategy and future growth of the business”.