Mars names head of health & wellness, snacking division
Blas Maquivar joined the company in 2012 as general manager, Mars Chocolate Mexico.
Blas Maquivar. Courtesy of Mars
Mars announced that it has appointed Blas Maquivar as global president, Health & Wellness, Mars Snacking. With a tenure at Mars spanning nearly 14 years, Maquivar will oversee the company’s expanding Health & Wellness portfolio including brands Nature’s Bakery, Trü Frü, and Kind, the latter of which has expanded to 30 global markets outside of the U.S. and Canada since Mars took full ownership in 2020.
Maquivar joined Mars in 2010 as general manager, Mars Chocolate Mexico. He then served in several senior leadership roles across the Snacking business, most recently as president, Global Emerging Markets (GEM), where he led over 140 fast-growing markets including Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Central America. During his tenure, GEM experienced double-digit growth of 11% year-over-year.
As part of its vision to transform the snacking category and embrace shifting consumer needs and preferences, Mars has expanded the foothold of its Health & Wellness division within the permissible snacking category in the last several years. Under Maquivar’s leadership, the Health & Wellness division will continue to nurture and globally scale its existing brands while remaining an attractive destination for founder-led brands. This all comes in service of the company’s greater ambition to double its Snacking business and grow revenue to $36 billion within the next decade.
Since joining Mars, Trü Frü and Nature’s Bakery have also flourished further, with Nature’s Bakery’s net sales growing 78% post-acquisition. The brand is on pace in 2024 to be more than double its size since it was bought out in 2020. Following Mars’ 2023 acquisition of Trü Frü, the brand’s net sales grew by over 50% that same year, with Q1 2024 net sales up 80% versus Q1 2023.
“We will use our legacy of innovation for growing and scaling emerging snacking brands, and are confident in our bold category vision to lead the future of snacking,” says Andrew Clarke, global president, Mars Snacking. “Blas has an outstanding track record of leadership and is a natural choice to accelerate the positive trajectory of our dynamic Health & Wellness division.”
“Our snacks have been enjoyed in every corner of the world for years, and our Health & Wellness division has emerged as a key apparatus in ensuring we deliver for consumers across all consumption occasions,” says Maquivar. “I look forward to working with this talented team to drive further growth and portfolio evolution, continuing to bring consumers the snacks and treats that they love globally—including what will hopefully become some new favorites.”
Gabriel Fernandez, general manager of Mars Wrigley Mexico, will succeed Maquivar. Fernandez has been with Mars since 2005 and has held regional and corporate leadership roles in Latin America, Europe, and North America.
Mars is on the current Candy Industry “Global Top 100 Candy Companies” list. Click here to view the current “Global Top 100” rankings.
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