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Mars Inc. Announces Executive Appointments to Food & Nutrition Regional Businesses

Nov. 12, 2024

Dave Dusangh will lead North America as its regional president, while Hans Bakker will take the helm of the Food & Nutrition business in Europe as its regional general manager.

Andy Hanacek

Dave Dusangh, regional president for North America, Mars

Mars Inc. has announced that, effective immediately, Dave Dusangh will become regional president for North America, and Hans Bakker will be regional general manager for its Food & Nutrition business in Europe, according to a release shared by the company. Both executives will report to global president of Mars Food & Nutrition, Shaid Shah.

Dusangh most recently served in the role Bakker will be taking over: regional general manager for Mars Food & Nutrition Europe. Dusangh started at Mars in 2011 in the Pet Nutrition Canada division and led Mars Food & Nutrition Canada starting in 2016. He became GM of Tasty Bite North America in 2018 and joined the board of Tasty Bite Eatables in India — a position he still holds today. Dusangh will oversee brands including Ben’s Original, Seeds of Change and Tasty Bite in his new role.

Hans Bakker, regional general manager, Mars Food & Nutrition Europe

Bakker has worked for Mars for more than 20 years and has been vice president of global transformation for Mars Food & Nutrition since 2021. Before that, Bakker worked in various sales and marketing roles before becoming general manager of Mars Food & Nutrition Germany.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.