Wrigley, a subsidiary of Mars Inc, has announced the appointment of Deepak Iyer as the managing director of its India operations effective January 3, 2013. Previously, he was associated with PepsiCo Africa, based in Beirut, Lebanon as senior franchise director. The appointment follows the departure of Gautam Sharma, who resigned to pursue a new career.

Iyer – an engineering graduate with a master’s degree in management studies – will be based in New Delhi and operate out of Wrigley India’s headquarters located in the National Capital Region (NCR). In his new role as the managing director of Wrigley India, he would be responsible for developing the business strategy to drive growth across the various functions and brands of Wrigley India.

Commenting on the appointment, Michael Yeung, president, Wrigley Asia Pacific, said, “India is one of the top 20 geographies of Wrigley globally and India has got a huge potential as an important growth engine to fuel the growth of our region. We are excited to have Deepak join Wrigley India. Given his extensive experience and solid track record, I am confident that our India business will achieve new heights under Deepak’s leadership.”

Iyer brings with him a wide spectrum of experience in sales, marketing and general management functions with leading global companies, in both the manufacturing and corporate sectors. Before joining Wrigley, he spent 16 years in PepsiCo, where he handled a portfolio ranging from sales and general management functions.