Mars Petcare appoints new chief digital officer

Mars Petcare has appointed Christoph Heyn, current global vice president, digital at Ikea, as its chief digital officer (CDO).

Heyn will join the newly created role from 27 November 2023 and will lead the definition and global scaling of signature digital products, and the development of key areas of digital capabilities across the organisation, strengthening the ability to respond to the needs of pet owners across its multiple business models.

In his new role he will report to Leonid Sudakov, president growth, digital and platforms.

Heyn brings an “impressive” track-record of digital transformation at scale across retail, hospitality and financial services industries.

He has held leadership positions at Ritz-Carlton and Marriott International, Capital One and most recently Ikea, where he led the digital customer experience and tech platform transformation.

During this time, he played a key role in the transformation of Ikea from a store-based retail model into an omni-channel business, with a platform visited by billions of customers annually.

According to Mars Petcare, the move signals the “continued focus on digitalisation and technology to accelerate business transformation, drive growth and better serve millions of pets and pet owners”.

Heyn said: “When you look at the transformation Mars has already undertaken in Petcare over the last decade, from nutrition to care and platforms, in service of creating: A Better World for Pets, 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.”

Sudakov added: “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.”