Two senior leadership changes at Mars’s Pet Nutrition division have seen Paolo Rigamonti appointed regional president, Pet Nutrition Europe.
Rigamonti succeeds Deri Watkins, who, after five and a half years leading Pet Nutrition Europe, has been appointed regional president, Pet Nutrition Developed Asia Pacific (APAC).
Rigamonti was previously general manager of Pet Nutrition UK, Ireland & Nordics, having led Pet Nutrition UK since 2022 and expanding the role to lead the UK, Ireland and the Nordics cluster in 2024. In his role, Rigamonti championed rights for pet owners, securing progress in providing more pet-friendly tenancy options in the UK through Pet Nutrition’s ‘Better Cities for Pets’ programme.
During his role as Regional President, Pet Nutrition Europe, Watkins steered the business through the impacts of the Covid pandemic and the subsequent supply chain shortages and played an instrumental part in supporting the business’ sustainability efforts, such as driving partnerships to support the regenerative agricultural transition across the European pet food supply chain.
Both commenced their new roles on March 1.
Rigamonti commented: “I’m really excited to lead the truly diverse European region in my new position, working in close partnership with our customers to meet the needs of pets and pet parents. Deri has done an excellent job of leading this region for the last five and a half years, and I’m looking forward to continuing this progress, accelerating our goal to be the most pet parent centric organisation in the world.”
Speaking about his new role, Watkins said: “I’ve really enjoyed my time leading Pet Nutrition across the European region and seeing what we’ve achieved as a business for the pets and pet parents we serve. I feel fortunate to have worked with so many talented colleagues for over 20 years at Mars, and I look forward to meeting and working with many more of our dedicated associates in my new role.”
Ikdeep Singh, global president, Mars Pet Nutrition, added: “I’m thrilled to welcome Deri and Paolo to their new roles. They are exceptional leaders with a passion for people, pets and pet parents. Their diverse experience across geographies will be invaluable as they work alongside key retailers and partners to continue growing and leading the petcare category as we accelerate our ambition to transform the pet parent experience and deliver our purpose: A Better World for Pets.”
