Mars, Incorporated announced the appointment of Manish Syag as Managing Director of its Pet Nutrition division in India. Manish will lead the business, home to some of the country’s most trusted and pioneering pet food brands, including PEDIGREE, WHISKAS, SHEBA, among others.
Manish brings over two decades of FMCG leadership experience, having held senior sales leadership roles at Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) and GSK Consumer Healthcare. Manish joined Mars in 2024 as Chief Sales Officer and has played a key role in shaping the next phase of Mars India’s pet nutrition growth story. An alumnus of IIM Lucknow, Manish is widely regarded as a strong people leader with a proven ability to scale businesses while building high-performing teams. In his new role, Manish will drive a focused India Growth Agenda, build world-class operational capabilities, and strengthen the company’s leadership in the pet food industry one of the fastest emerging FMCG categories in the country.
Speaking on his appointment, Manish Syag said, “India is at a defining moment for the pet food market, which is expected to grow into a USD 2 billion category in a decade, evolving much as mainstream FMCG did in its early growth years, driven by access, awareness, and trust. I am excited to take on this role and lead the next phase of growth for our business in India, serving pets and pet parents across the country with trusted, high-quality packaged pet food by further strengthening our portfolio of deeply loved brands and expanding our market presence. At the heart of this journey will be our Mars Five Principles, and our Purpose: “A Better World For Pets.”
Manish succeeds Salil Murthy, who has been elevated to the role of Global Vice President, Enterprise Transformation, Mars Pet Nutrition. In this global leadership role, Salil will focus on advancing Mars Pet Nutrition’s long-term transformation agenda, strengthening leadership and organisational capability, and driving growth through building a simpler, faster and more future-ready operating model. Salil will be based in London, the site of Mars Pet Nutrition’s global headquarters.
Talking about his new role, Salil Murthy said, “I am excited to take on this new global role and help shape the future of Mars Pet Nutrition. This role offers an opportunity to focus on driving accelerated growth for the global Pet Nutrition business through unleashing the power of our associates across the world, strengthening our strategic resource allocation process and our digital and AI capabilities, and accelerating transformation to win with pet parents and our customers in every market. Leading the India Pet Nutrition business has been deeply fulfilling, and I’m incredibly proud of the growth we have driven and the high-performing team we have built over the last few years. I have every confidence in Manish’s leadership to take the business forward in its next phase of growth.”
Francisco Fernandez, Regional President, Mars Pet Nutrition – Rapid Growth Markets, said, “India is one of the most important growth markets for Mars Pet Nutrition. Salil’s elevation reflects the strong, purpose-led business he and the team have built in India and the depth of leadership talent emerging from this market. Manish’s appointment demonstrates our confidence in his expertise, leadership capability, and deep understanding of pet parents and customers in India. Together, these appointments reinforce our commitment to developing leaders from within and further strengthening India’s role in our global strategy and future growth of the business.”
Mars Pet Nutrition has been present in India since 2002, following the launch of PEDIGREE. In 2007, Mars established the country’s first pet food manufacturing facility, marking a key milestone in the development of the organized pet food category in India. Today, Mars Pet Nutrition serves millions of pets and pet parents across the country through its portfolio of trusted, high-quality products for both dogs and cats.
