Mars, Incorporated is an American global manufacturer of confectionery, pet food, and other food products, with close to US$33 billion in annual sales in 2015.
Some of their most recognizable brands are Snickers Mars and Twix chocolate bars, Pedigree Whickas and Royal Canin pet food brands, as well as Wrigleys and Orbit chewing gum among many others. The company is one of the largest privately held company in the United States by Forbes.
Pascal has been with the company for more than 20 years, having served in different leadership positions in manufacturing, supply chain and engineering, across Asia, Europe and North America. He is now in charge of Supply for Global Emerging Markets, which include Latin America Middle East and Africa as well as Asia and Australia.
Listen to the full discussion here:
Connect with the Guests:
Pascal Bouye: Linkedin
Some of the highlights from the podcast:
- Having the right people on the right job
- How Mars handles the Coronavirus crisis
- How ecommerce is changing the way Mars operate
- Managing 20 time zones in a global supply chain role
- Examples of digital transformation in Mars
- By 2025 Mars plans 100% of plastic packaging to be reusable, recyclable and compostable
Show notes:
- [01:36] Tell us a little bit about your career and progress in Mars.
- [02:05] I think I was very fortunate to join a company that absolutely believes in the development of their people as a way to develop long-term success.
- [03:07] You are a Vice President of Supply, Emerging Market, can you tell us a little about your role? What’s your scope day-to-day?
- [04:05] My first thought is having the right people in the right job. So focus on building an effective team and focus on talent and capability.
- [05:20] How do you manage all the crises that are happening now?
- [07:28] Maybe you can share with us practical steps that you’ve taken in Mars when handling the crisis regarding Coronavirus.
- [10:56] Have you done a certain project that you’re most proud of in Mars around digital transformation? How would that help you in this type of situation?
- [13:55] What are some of the challenges that you face when you’re trying to implement Sprint? What were some ways in which you overcome that?
- [15:36] Moving to a different tool or accepting that we can use it differently is not always easy and many of our system implementation failed because people did not use the system for what they were designed for.
- [16:15] How does Mars and you in your role manage to have that local focus?
- [18:54] E-commerce is changing everything and it is changing rapidly. How is it for you and Mars?
- [20:54] Do you have any case studies of using technological tools for Mars for increasing your productivity?
- [23:09] What are some of the areas where you’re focused in terms of sustainability in supply chain?
- [26:16] By 2025, 100% of the plastic packaging that we use will be reusable, recyclable and compostable. We also want to reduce by 25% the use of plastic.
- [28:47] What would be some of the hard and soft skills that you see supply chain professionals need to get on board with to stay relevant?
- [32:24] As supply chain leaders across the industry, we need to see what we need to do to ensure that we can really live long-term capabilities in those areas.
- [33:11] What were some of the things that have helped you the most in your career?
- [35:25] When you have an environment, when you love what you do and you are supported by the organization usually you go the fastest. So take responsibility, be curious, be bold and passionate.
Soundbite from the Episode:
About the Host:
The host, Radu Palamariu is the co-author of “From Source to Sold – Stories of Leadership in Supply Chain”. He has been named one of the top 3 Global Supply Chain Influencers on LinkedIn and was featured in Forbes, Bloomberg, WEF, Bangkok Post, and MIT Supply Chain Talent magazine. Radu invites executives to share stories and perspectives around technology, logistics, e-commerce, supply chain, and manufacturing, and their views on how the future will look.
Alcott Global connects and upgrades the supply chain ecosystem by finding the right talent through executive search, developing talent through learning solutions, and meeting supply chain technology needs through a comprehensive crunch base marketplace.
The supply chain executive search has been our focus since the very beginning, offering recruitment services for top-tier supply chain roles at every level of the end-to-end supply chain: plan, source / procure, make, and deliver. Our consultants have years of experience in placing top talent, in North America, LATAM, Europe, the Middle East & Africa, and APAC, and besides speed, one of our biggest strengths is our network within the supply chain industry, and we capitalize on it to find the best solutions.
Through the years, we have grown as an organization and our offerings with it. One of our initiatives, the learning solutions- training and supply chain academy, is focused on transforming leadership- self-leadership, executive presence, influence capital, and business acumen. Through Supplify, we aim to match corporations with the top technology companies to solve their supply chain and logistics challenges with a focus on innovation and digital transformation.
We are in constant touch with the leaders in supply chain, inviting them to inspire the supply chain professionals in thought-provoking podcast episodes and events, and showcasing what is possible at the yearly Leaders in Supply Chain Awards.
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