Ruben Cejudo Joins Mars Petcare as Supply Chain VP
Ruben Cejudo has joined Mars Petcare as VP of North American supply chain.
Most recently Unilever VP of supply chain, global hair care and deodorants, Cejudo will become a member of Mars Pet Nutrition North America's leadership team. He’ll be tasked with propelling the company’s end-to-end supply chain success, building on the work interim supply chain VP Chris Sackree has done during the pandemic.
Sackree is moving on to another Mars role.
During his nearly nine years at Unilever, Cejudo oversaw the designing and implementation of end-to-end supply chain solutions for the No. 6 publicly owned consumer goods company, as well as led all elements of supply chain strategy for global innovation. He was also responsible for the development of organizational capability for people, process and systems, and held senior supply chain roles in the Middle Americas and North America at Unilever.
Prior to Unilever, Cejudo spent more than two decades at Procter & Gamble in a range of supply chain and global roles. He redesigned P&G’s haircare supply chain in Brazil to be more agile and cost effective, and played a key role implementing planning centers in the U.S. and Latin America, according to a Mars Petcare statement announcing his appointment.
In the statement, Ikdeep Singh, regional president, Mars Pet Nutrition North America, called out Cejudo’s extensive experience.
[See also: Mars Partners For Supply Chain Optimization & Hyper-Relevant Experiences]
"As a seasoned leader with deep end-to-end supply chain expertise, I'm confident Ruben will help create our supply chain of the future, positioning Mars Petcare to win in the digital age now and for years to come," said Singh. "His passion for supply chain innovation, furthering our purpose: ‘A Better World For Pets,’ and developing associate talent will be central to driving strong business results."
Mars Petcare is part of Mars, Incorporated and includes such brands as a Pedigree, Whiskas, Eukanuba, Greenies, Iams and Royal Canin in its portfolio. It sells through more than 50 countries and counts about 85,000 employees among its ranks, and also serves as an international veterinary health provider.
Cejudo joining marks yet another boost to the company’s leadership team, following the addition of a pair of digital hires earlier this year. The pet category has experienced record growth during the pandemic, exceeding $100 billion in 2020 in the United States, according to the American Pet Products Association, which has forecast the industry will record 5.8% growth in 2021.
The company also recently shared details about the steps it’s taking to rethink and reduce the packaging for its pet products. As part of this, Mars Petcare is piloting a series of steps to reduce plastics and unnecessary packaging as part of its sustainability goal to use 100% reusable, recyclable or compostable packaging by 2025, including a partnership with TerraCyle that enables consumers in New Zealand and Australia to return Royal Canin and Eukanuba food containers to participating veterinary clinics.
Through this collaboration, the company seeks to recycle millions pet food bags that are unable to be recycled through current community curbside recycling in the area.
