Consumer goods giant Mars has appointed its first ever global chief digital officer to lead its Petcare division – the unit behind Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba and Iams – as part of plans to ramp up its digital transformation.
Christoph Heyn will join the business on November 27 from Ikea, where the German national has been global vice-president of digital since November 2019.
During his time at the Swedish flatpack furniture retailer, Heyn has played a key role in its transformation from a store-based model into an omnichannel business, leading a team of more than 1,000 digital professionals.
His key responsibilities have included the Ikea app and Ikea.com website (which get more than 4 billion visits each year), as well digital marketing, martech, search, content, CRM and the Ikea Family loyalty scheme.
Prior to that, Heyn was head of product and digital servicing at Capital One, leading all digital product development for the credit card business; head of product, global mobile and digital guest experience at Marriott International; and head of mobile at Ritz-Carlton.
According to Mars Petcare, in his new role Heyn will lead the “definition and global scaling of signature digital products and the development of key areas of digital capabilities across the organisation”.
With annual sales $19bn (£15.3bn), Mars Petcare is the biggest division of the company, generating over 42% of the entire group’s $45bn revenues in 2022.
And, as part of its long-term initiative to create “A Better World for Pets”, the company has more than 100,000 staff helping pets, their owners and pet professionals in more than 130 countries, spanning veterinary care, nutrition, diagnostics, wearable health monitoring, DNA testing and pet “parent” platforms.
Heyn will report to Leonid Sudakov, president of growth, digital and platforms, who said: “Christoph’s unique leadership experience in consumer-facing technology, across a variety of relevant industries, will bring huge value to both our business and pet owners.
“We are on a journey to accelerate the transformation of our digital products and services, and I’m thrilled to have Christoph join us.”
Heyn added: “When you look at the transformation Mars has already undertaken in Petcare over the last decade, you get a real sense of the ambition and commitment. That’s why I’m so excited to join the team, helping to revolutionise the role digital plays in making pet ownership simpler and more joyful.”
His appointment follows the recruitment of Mars Petcare’s first global marketing chief since 2019, with Logitech CMO Najoh Tita-Reid becoming chief brand and experience officer earlier this month.
Briefed to lead the growth agenda, Tita-Reid will help create a seamless brand and consumer experience across the Mars Petcare portfolio of brands and services, and also report to Sudakov. She has previously held senior roles at Bayer, Merck, GlobalHue, and Procter & Gamble.
Mars Petcare UK agencies include AMV BBDO and EssenceMediaCom.
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