MCLEAN, VA. — Mars, Inc. has named David Jacobs vice president of marketing for Mars Food & Nutrition North America.

In his new role, Jacobs will oversee strategies to drive penetration and accelerate growth across the rice and ready meal categories in the United States and Canada, Mars said. He also will manage strategic initiatives to drive value creation across the business in addition to supervising growth plans for several Mars brands, including Ben’s Original and Seeds of Change. Jacobs will report to Dave Dusangh, regional president of Mars Food & Nutrition North America.

Prior to joining Mars, Jacobs was with SC Johnson for more than 17 years, most recently as executive director, head of marketing, North America region. Prior to SC Johnson he was with Unilever, where he worked in marketing and sales. He also spent time as a strategy consultant in Canada for Monitor Deloitte.

“We’re excited to welcome David to Mars Food & Nutrition,” Dusangh said. “His impressive background in building world leading CPG brands and leading high-performing teams aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver delicious, convenient, and nutritious meals to meet the evolving needs of today’s consumers. His expertise makes him an exceptional addition to our leadership team, and I look forward to him contributing innovative approaches to drive meaningful growth for our brands and business.”