Mars appoints Lauren Larsen as new CCO for Mars Food & Nutrition North America
This appointment strengthens customer partnerships and drives growth across rice and ready‑meal categories.
NORTH AMERICA – Mars has appointed CPG veteran Lauren Larsen as Chief Customer Officer (CCO) for its Food & Nutrition North America business unit, effective immediately.
Larsen steps into the role to spearhead sales strategies, market penetration, and customer partnerships across US rice and ready-meal categories, overseeing powerhouse brands including Ben’s Original, Seeds of Change, and Tasty Bite.
With 18 years of expertise from Procter & Gamble and Glanbia, her track record in building high-performing teams and category growth positions her to drive commercial excellence amid competitive retail dynamics.
Regional President Dave Dusangh praised the hire: “Her ability to build high-performing sales organizations and drive commercial excellence will help accelerate growth across our portfolio, strengthen trusted customer partnerships and deliver against the shared goals we hold with our retail partners around quality, value and long-term growth, while reinforcing the principles that make Mars a great place to work.”
Larsen will focus on value creation through optimized execution, navigating challenges such as inflation, channel shifts, and evolving shopper preferences within a US$65 billion-plus Mars ecosystem spanning snacks, petcare, and foods.
Her mandate includes enhancing everyday meal solutions for families and leveraging Mars’ decentralized model to integrate sales plans with broader sustainability goals aligned with the Five Principles of Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency, and Freedom.
This appointment underscores Mars Food & Nutrition’s North American momentum, where rice and prepared foods face pressure from private labels yet benefit from premium positioning and innovation pipelines.
In her new role, Larsen will oversee sales strategies across the US, focusing on maximizing value creation and strengthening execution across multiple channels, from mainstream supermarkets to e‑commerce and foodservice.
She will also lead initiatives to align Mars’ commercial teams with retailer priorities, including assortment, pricing, promotional effectiveness, and in-store execution, while leveraging data and category insights to unlock incremental growth.
Larsen expressed enthusiasm: “Mars Food & Nutrition stands out for the strength of its brands and the way it partners with customers to deliver quality and value at scale, and I’m excited by the opportunity to build on that foundation, working closely with retail partners to unlock growth, strengthen execution, and help position the business for long-term success.”
As Mars navigates 2026’s economic landscape under global leadership, Larsen’s role signals an intensified US focus, potentially boosting market share in value-driven segments.
Industry watchers anticipate her influence on how it translates Mars’ commercial strategy into measurable gains in distribution, velocity and shopper loyalty across its food and nutrition brands.
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