Mars Wrigley hires new marketing director, Ben Hill
Ben Hill is the new marketing director at Mars Wrigley, taking responsibility for the marketing function across the company’s 17 brands including Extra, Maltesers, M&Ms, Mars and Skittles.
Hill has spent time with Mondelez, Coca-Cola Amatil, Nestle and Unilever throughout his career, and was most recently marketing, innovation and corporate affairs director at Bega Cheese. During his time with Bega, he worked on transitioning Vegemite back to Australian ownership, and future-proofing Bega’s brand portfolio, Mars said.
Andrew Leakey, Mars’ general manager, said this experience, couples with Hill’s energy and creativity, will be invaluable to the company’s brands and consumers.
“With a strong track record in executing commercially impactful marketing campaigns and delivering for the customer, Ben is a welcome addition to our leadership tea, as we look to reinvent our category for the future,” he said.
In October 2018, Mars hired Bronwyn Powell as marketing director from her head of marketing gig at Oporto, however Hill is replacing Suzanne Morrison, who has departed the business after over a decade to pursue her interests in the not-for-profit sector.
Hill said there was a lot to look forward to in the new role.
“I’m thrilled to be joining the Mars Wrigley Australia team, working alongside a passionate group of associates to grow our iconic brands loved by generations of Australians,” he said.
“With a fresh perspective, I’m looking forward to working with the team to unlock the power of our gum, bitesize and bars brands, ensuring we continue to evolve our portfolio through world-class innovation and bold thinking to connect with the evolving preferences and values of our consumers.”
Mars recently appointed Edelman to its PR account.
Mars Wrigly have a weird strategy of not being seen around news content (at least when I worked on them).
Not sure if this is the client or the agency…But it’s quite odd… No one obviously will associate chocolate supporting or being caused by the news of the day. It’s almost like markers these days in Australia take the safe option to the extreme because we don’t have the balls to have tough conversations with global. Is this why Australian brands don’t stand for anything as well?
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Well done Ben.
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One of the best in the business. Well done on the new gig Ben, go well!
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Can’t wait for the M&M’s stencil
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