A new general manager has been appointed to Mars Wrigley Australia. Andrew Leakey will lead the business from its Melbourne headquarters, with responsibility for its manufacturing facilities in Asquith (NSW) and Ballarat (VIC).
Mars Wrigley has 17 iconic confectionery brands that it distributes including Extra chewing gum, Maltesers, M&Ms, Mars, Skittles and Eclipse.
Andrew has worked for the company since 2008 in a number of senior leadership roles across Asia and the Pacific. Most recently he was GM for India. He oversaw double digit growth during his tenure and the opening of the first local Mars chocolate factory in Pune near Mumbai.
Prior to that, he was GM of Wrigley Pacific from 2011-2016 leading the Australian, New Zealand and Pacific Islands operations.
He joined Wrigley Pacific as marketing director, where he launched the award-winning Extra “Eat. Drink. Chew” campaign.
He brings over two decades of experience in the FMCG industry, having held both sales and marketing roles at Arnott’s, Cerebos Greggs, Mars and GlaxoSmithKline.
Andrew returns to Australia at an important time, with the company having finalised the integration of Mars Chocolate and Wrigley and is well-positioned to drive growth.
Leakey said: “It’s great to be back in Australia, leading a business with a strong legacy of market leading brands, great associates, strong customers and passionate consumers.
“For over 100 years, Mars has remained committed to local manufacturing in Australia and this year we’re looking forward to celebrating the 40th anniversary of our Ballarat site with our customers and consumers.”
This year, Mars Australia placed 5th in Great Place to Work Awards in Australia and maintained its position as the number one FMCG company and manufacturer for businesses with over 1000 employees.
Previous GM Andrew Loader is leaving after almost 20 years with the company.
