The creator of chocolate and confections Mars Wrigley has promoted Kalpesh Parmar, who formerly oversaw operations in India, to general manager of the Mars Wrigley Asia division. Parmar's new position will involve managing companies in 20 different markets.
Tamer Kadry, who will take over as the country general manager for India, succeeds Parmar.
“After spearheading a successful journey of three years in India and turning around the business with double-digit growth, Parmar has been promoted to lead the company’s Asia business with immediate effect. In his new role, Parmar will oversee 20 diverse markets in the Mars Wrigley Asia portfolio. He will lead business operations of the chocolate, gum, and fruity confections segments across all Asia markets as well as the pet nutrition segment in South Korea, Taiwan, and Hong Kong," the maker of Snickers chocolates said in a statement announcing the appointments.
After working in both developed and emerging markets, including South Korea, Singapore, Dubai, Turkey, Nigeria, and India, Parmar joined the India company in January 2020 and held top positions in business development, brand creation, distribution, and e-commerce.
Parmar spent more than 12 years with Unilever before joining Mars Wrigley in 2020. His final position there was as CEO for South Korea, the Pacific Islands, and Mongolia.
Kadry, who is currently Mars Wrigley's vice president of new markets and future growth for the Global Emerging Markets (GEM) area, formerly served as GEM's chief financial officer. Kadry has been employed with Mars Corporation for more than 20 years, working in a variety of locations throughout Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa (MEA). Tamer, who was born in Cairo, Egypt, finished his professional training at the University of Illinois.
Kadry and Parmar are currently settling into their new positions.
In India, Mars Wrigley contends with Nestlé, ITC, and Mondelez. According to Parmar, the company plans to more than treble its business in India over the next four to five years. While it distributes Snickers and Galaxy chocolates in India, the company is also striving for homegrown inventions to increase its market share. Mars Wrigley has thus far made over 1 billion rupees in three factories in India. Also, the company controls a sizable pet care enterprise that markets the Pedigree and Royal Canin trademarks.
“India is one the fastest growing markets for Mars and I am looking forward to leading Mars Wrigley’s India business and delivering on our sustainability commitments along with an incredible India leadership team and passionate associates," said Kadry, the incoming General Manager for Mars Wrigley India.
Meanwhile, commenting on his new role, Parmar said, “I’m excited to see what more we can do in our 20 markets—whether it’s continuing to build our billion-dollar brands like M&Ms, Snickers and Extra, growing Asia talent, or delivering on our sustainability commitments."
The corporation sells brands like Dove, M&M's, Snickers, Galaxy, Pedigree, and others, and its annual global sales are close to $45 billion.