Director, Asia Cluster Digital Technologies Lead

Overview

Mars Snacking Asia cluster represents a scaled, high-growth business across Southeast Asia, Japan, Korea, Hongkong & Taiwan. This combined organization brings together strong brands, expanded capabilities, and a renewed ambition to accelerate growth in a dynamic and competitive FMCG environment.

The DT Lead – Mars Snacking Asia will play a pivotal role in fueling the growth of the cluster by shaping and delivering a business-led technology strategy. The role will act as a strategic partner to the Cluster Leadership Team and Regional DT Leadership, translating business priorities into scalable, value-driven digital and technology solutions.

This role is accountable for end-to-end Digital Technologies (DT) across the cluster—driving transformation, ensuring operational excellence, and maximizing value realization from technology investments—while fostering a culture of innovation, collaboration, and adoption.

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Business Partnership

• Act as a trusted strategic partner to the Mars Snacking Asia Leadership Team (LT) and Regional DT LT
• Translate cluster business strategy into a clear, actionable DT strategy and roadmap
• Shape and influence business priorities through technology-led opportunities and insights
• Co-create a joint business plan (JBP) aligning business and technology investments

Digital & Technology Strategy Execution

• Lead the end-to-end delivery of DT strategy, balancing:
• Growth & innovation
• Operational excellence
• Cost and efficiency
• Identify and prioritize high-value digital initiatives that accelerate growth
• Ensure speed, scalability, and agility in deploying solutions across markets

Transformation & Value Realization

• Champion digital transformation initiatives across sales, marketing, supply chain, R&D, and enabling functions
• Ensure strong adoption of new technologies and tools, embedding them into business ways of working
• Drive maximum value extraction from DT investments through clear KPIs and governance
• Act as a visible change leader, building digital mindset and capability across the organization

Collaboration & Ecosystem Leadership

• Be a true collaborator across business, regional, and global DT teams
• Partner with global platforms to leverage scaled solutions while ensuring local relevance
• Build strong relationships across:
• Cluster Leadership team
• Regional & Global DT teams
• External partners and vendors

Operational Excellence & Governance

• Ensure reliable, secure, and efficient IT operations across the cluster
• Deliver on service levels, risk management, and compliance standards
• Oversee budget planning and management (OPEX & CapEx) aligned with business priorities
• Balance run, grow, and transform agendas effectively

Talent & Team Leadership

• Build and lead a high-performing DT team across Asia
• Drive a strong talent agenda: hiring, development, succession planning
• Foster a culture of accountability, innovation, and continuous learning
• Act as a role model for Mars leadership principles and values

Requirements:

• Bachelor's degree required (IT, Engineering, or related field preferred) MBA or equivalent is preferred
• 10–15+ years of experience in Digital Technologies / IT leadership roles, preferably in FMCG / CPG environments
• Strong understanding of end-to-end FMCG business operations (Supply Chain, Sales, Marketing, R&D, Finance)

Proven track record in:

• Business transformation & digital strategy execution
• Technology program delivery at scale
• Driving adoption and value realization
• Experience working in matrixed, regional/global organizations
• Demonstrated leadership with strong ability to influence
• Strong executive‑level communication skills with ability to translate complex concepts into clear, compelling messages