New VP of Sales at Mars Food & Nutrition

Mars Food & Nutrition, a London-based division of family-owned Mars, Inc., has promoted Eric Huston to VP of sales for North America. A seven-year Mars leader, Huston moves up from his most recent role as head of sales for the Mars Food & Nutrition team in Canada, where he led his team to consistently exceed category growth rates and helped steer new product innovations.

Now based out of Chicago, Huston will guide the selling organization responsible for the company’s retail channels and provide strategic oversight for new innovations. The Mars food & Nutrition portfolio of brands include Ben’s Original, Masterfoods, Seeds of Change, Tasty Bite and Dolmio.

[RELATED: “Inside Mars’ New Global R&D Center in Chicago”]

Before joining Mars, Huston held leadership positions of increasing responsibility at Procter & Gamble and Heinz Pet Products. He earned a bachelor of science degree in business from Miami University in Ohio.

In other news, Mars, Inc. announced this week that it is overhauling its Orbit, Extra, Freedent and Yida chewing gum products. As part of the update, company is launching a new global platform, “Chew You Good” to promote the use of gum from an occasional freshening fix to “an essential everyday chewing companion.” Also this week, Mars, Inc. shared that it completed the acquisition of a U.K.-based premium chocolate brand, Hotel Chocolat, on Jan. 25.