"Casey brings to Wrigley a great passion for consumer brands and a demonstrated record of success in bringing new energy to established product categories," said Dushan "Duke" Petrovich, Wrigley president. "I have every confidence that he has the energy and dynamism to lead our North America business to even greater success."
Keller, 49, joins Wrigley with more [image-nocss] than two decades of leadership experience in the consumer goods industry, having served most recently as president of the U.S. business of Alberto Culver. Previously, Keller served in senior roles with Motorola, HJ Heinz and Procter & Gamble.
He will join the Wrigley Leadership Team and report to the Wrigley president.
Meanwhile, the company announced earlier this month that Petrovich will be retiring from the company at the end of the year. He will be succeeded by Martin Radvan, current global president of the drinks segment of Mars Inc.
A 36-year veteran of Wrigley, Petrovich, 57, was named president in 2008, following acquisition of the company by Mars. While Petrovich will continue to provide guidance to the business through the end of 2011, he will step out of the role effective June 30, to allow his successor to lead business planning for 2012.
"From generating strong business results to developing talent and engaging associates, Duke has set a very strong course for Wrigley's future," said Paul S. Michaels, president and CEO of Mars. "Duke has been a key part of Wrigley for almost four decades. Looking back to his appointment in October 2008, we could not have picked a better leader to steward the Wrigley business as a new segment of Mars."
A native of Chicago, Petrovich began his career in the Wrigley finance department in 1975. He was the first-ever Wrigley associate to rise from an entry level position to become an elected officer of the company, and over the course of his career, led several key functions, including finance, human resources, supply chain, procurement, information technology and corporate affairs.
In succeeding Petrovich, Radvan will bring 25 years of experience across a number of businesses of Mars. Beginning his Mars career in the U.K., Radvan progressed through a variety of roles in Europe and the Middle East, with experience in logistics, finance, planning, information technology and general management. From 2006 to 2009, Radvan served as chief information officer of Mars Inc., before being appointed to lead global drinks in 2009.
Wrigley is a leader in confections with a wide range of product offerings including gum, mints, hard and chewy candies and lollipops. The company has operations in more than 40 countries and distributes its brands in more than 180 countries. Brands include Extra, Orbit, Doublemint, 5, and Eclipse chewing gums, as well as confectionery brands Skittles, Starburst and Life Savers. Wrigley is headquartered in Chicago and operates as a subsidiary of Mars Inc.
Based in McLean, Va., Mars Inc. has net sales of more than $30 billion. Brands include Chocolate (M&M's, Snickers, Dove, Galaxy, Mars, Milky Way and Twix); Petcare (Pedigree, Whiskas, Sheba, Cesar and Royal Canin); Wrigley (Orbit, Extra, Starburst, Doublemint and Skittles); Food (Uncle Ben's, Dolmio, Ebly, Masterfoods and Seeds of Change); Drinks (Alterra Coffee Roasters, The Bright Tea Co., Klix and Flavia); and Symbioscience (Seramis, Cirku and Cocoavia).
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