Mars, Incorporated has announced the appointment of Manish Syag as Managing Director of its Pet Nutrition division in India. Manish will lead the business, which includes some of the country’s most recognised and established pet food brands, including PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS® and SHEBA®, among others.
Syag brings more than two decades of FMCG leadership experience, having held senior sales leadership roles at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and GSK Consumer Healthcare. He joined Mars in 2024 as Chief Sales Officer and has played a key role in shaping the next phase of growth for Mars India’s Pet Nutrition business.
Speaking on his appointment, Syag said, “India is at a defining moment for the pet food market, which is expected to grow into a USD 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. At the heart of this journey will be our Mars Five Principles, and our Purpose: ‘A Better World For Pets.’”
Syag succeeds Salil Murthy, who has been appointed Global Vice President, Enterprise Transformation, Mars Pet Nutrition. In this global leadership role, Murthy will focus on advancing Mars Pet Nutrition’s long-term transformation agenda, strengthening leadership and organisational capability, and driving growth by building a simpler, faster and more future-ready operating model. Murthy will be based in London, home to Mars Pet Nutrition’s global headquarters.
Speaking about his new role, Murthy said, “I am excited to take on this new global role and help shape the future of Mars Pet Nutrition. 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.”
