Redefiners Podcast: "Sweet Success: How Mars Blends Family, Values, and Growth"

Guest: Valerie Mars, Former SVP & Head of Corporate Development, Mars, Incorporated
Hosts: Clarke Murphy & Marla Oates, Russell Reynolds Associates
Date: October 22, 2025

Brief Overview

This episode features Valerie Mars, a fourth-generation member of the Mars family and former Head of Corporate Development at Mars, Inc. Clarke Murphy and Marla Oates guide a candid conversation exploring how Mars, a century-old privately held company, has aligned the lasting values of family ownership with bold business growth, sustainability, and responsible globalization.

Topics span the evolution of Mars' brand philosophy, the complexities of non-family executive leadership, the foundational role of family values like “mutuality” and “freedom,” generational succession, corporate governance, and how Mars balances profitability with social and environmental stewardship.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. Mars’ Brand Philosophy and Storytelling ([03:27])

• Brand Focus Over Family Name: Valerie shares Mars’ traditional approach of letting product brands speak for themselves, rather than emphasizing the Mars corporate or family name.
  • "The belief that the brands speak for themselves. They are what a consumer identifies with. A consumer doesn't identify with necessarily the manufacturer. And why bring attention to the corporate name rather than the name of the product?" — Valerie Mars [03:27]
• Evolving to Tell Their Story: She highlights the need to control the narrative:
  • "If you don't tell your story, somebody else will." — Valerie Mars [04:36]

2. Transition to Non-Family Leadership ([04:36], [06:41])

• Why Non-Family Management: The Mars family decided on non-family leadership to avoid intra-family strife and to maintain unity, recognizing that replicating past sibling management across new generations wasn’t workable.
  • "I think they made the wise decision that you can't replicate two siblings with two cousins...it was going to cause more internal family strife. And so that's how we ended up with non family management." — Valerie Mars [06:09]
• What Makes a Great CEO for a Family Business:
  • Understanding legacy, valuing family dynamics, and embracing principles like mutuality.
  • "Businesses are not the same as non-family... It's a legacy. And you need to understand the family dynamics and you need to value what the family brings." — Valerie Mars [06:41]
  • Curiosity and the ability to embrace what’s different are key traits.

3. Mars’ Five Principles ([08:07])

• The Five Core Values:
  • Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency, Quality, and Freedom.
• Focus on Mutuality and Freedom:
  • "The one that's most misunderstood is freedom. ...You don't want others to control how you run your business." — Valerie Mars [08:41]
  • The principle of “freedom” means low debt and independence from external control, dating to her grandfather’s Depression-era views.
• Managing Acquisitions and Integration:
  • Mars carefully selects deals where values and operating approaches align.
  • Avoid deals that would require compromising culture or that don't have sustainable economics.
  • “Sometimes some businesses...you have to be careful that you don’t destroy value inadvertently by imposing your way of doing things.” — Valerie Mars [09:48]

4. The Mars Compass and Long-Term Thinking ([13:09])

• Development of the Mars Compass:
  • Created in 2018 to supplement the Five Principles, emphasizing purpose and performance for generations ahead.
  • Used primarily as a top-level management tool for decision-making alignment.
  • "The Compass is more...about how you think about the broader impact that you make. ...It's not just about financial results, because that's the easy one, but it's how you got there. And the how matters a lot." — Valerie Mars [13:42]
• Balancing Results and How They're Achieved:
  • "If you did it by destroying the world around the people...it's not okay to just close your eyes." — Valerie Mars [15:04]

5. Multi-Generational Governance & Succession ([16:54])

• Harmonizing Generational Perspectives:
  • Each family must find its own method for navigating succession and governance challenges.
  • "There's a time in every business where you're no longer the best holder of those assets because it's destroying the family...the assets prioritized over the human capital, the people, their humanity. You're not an organ donor to the business. It's the other way around." — Valerie Mars [16:54]
• Engaging and Preparing Younger Generations:
  • Value the perspectives and energy of the younger generation rather than waiting for senior generations to step aside.
  • "These are kids—they're not. They're adults and they're in the prime of their lives, in the prime of their creativity." — Valerie Mars [17:58]
• Education and Board Readiness:
  • Emphasis on honest discussion and setting expectations so that new family board members are prepared, confident, and can truly embody the family values.

6. Why Stay Private? ([21:08])

• Never Seriously Considered Going Public:
  • "It’s never been a conversation. ...We don’t want anything different than to be private and family owned and family controlled. ...You’ll have to make that choice probably...continuously." — Valerie Mars [21:08]
• Stresses the strategic advantage of “freedom,” but the need for prudent financial management.

7. Defining Moments & Leadership Reflection ([24:21])

• Valerie’s Defining Professional Moment:
  • Recounts an episode where she was given feedback about treating an airport staff member dismissively; a humbling learning about leadership and respect.
  • "He said, 'It appeared to me that you treated that person there as if you didn't care for them.' ...And you realize that you're not more important at all. You're just another human being just like everyone else and they're doing the best they can." — Valerie Mars [24:21]
• Leadership Is About People, Not Just Profit:
  • "People who lead people. What is leadership? Is leadership not about actually...getting them to bring their best to work every day? They don't do that when they're fearful. They don't do that when they don't feel valued." — Valerie Mars [26:18]

8. Mars on Sustainability, Community & Global Operations ([27:40])

• Sustainability Commitments:
  • Net zero by 2050, 50% water reduction, recyclable or compostable packaging.
  • "This planet is struggling...If people don't start...trying to make it better, I don't know what's going to happen in two generations. ...But it doesn't look terribly hopeful." — Valerie Mars [28:22]
• Value Chain and People Focus:
  • Commitment to improving lives across the value chain, with a focus on farmers and women.
  • "If the people who are growing [ingredients] have other choices because they're not getting a fair price or they don't have...commitment from you as a buyer...this doesn't work if you're just treating them, their community like a commodity." — Valerie Mars [27:40]
• Local Manufacturing Philosophy:
  • Mars believes in manufacturing in-market for job creation, tax generation, and product freshness—never being a business of global shipping for shipping’s sake.
  • "We should be manufacturing in countries because it generates jobs and it generates taxes and it's the right thing to do. That's not a new concept, that's a mars concept." — Valerie Mars [29:42]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

| Timestamp | Speaker | Quote | |-----------|----------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | 04:36 | Valerie Mars | "If you don't tell your story, somebody else will." | | 06:41 | Valerie Mars | "You need to understand the family dynamics and you need to value what the family brings."| | 08:41 | Valerie Mars | "The one that's most misunderstood is freedom." | | 13:42 | Valerie Mars | "It's not just about financial results, because that's the easy one, but it's how you got there. And the how matters a lot."| | 16:54 | Valerie Mars | "You're not an organ donor to the business. It's the other way around." | | 21:08 | Valerie Mars | "It's never been a conversation... We don't want anything different than to be private and family owned and family controlled."| | 24:21 | Valerie Mars | "And you realize that you're not more important at all. You're just another human being just like everyone else and they're doing the best they can."| | 28:22 | Valerie Mars | "This planet is struggling and perhaps you don't want to see it, but in my lived life I'm certainly seeing shifts and it's not positive."| | 29:42 | Valerie Mars | "We should be manufacturing in countries because it generates jobs and it generates taxes and it's the right thing to do. That's not a new concept, that's a mars concept."|

Timestamps for Important Segments

• Introduction and Mars Brand Philosophy: [02:48 – 04:36]
• Family Ownership and Non-Family Leadership: [04:36 – 08:07]
• Mars' Five Principles and Corporate Philosophy: [08:07 – 13:09]
• Mars Compass & Long-Term Thinking: [13:09 – 16:29]
• Multi-Generational Succession & Governance: [16:29 – 21:08]
• Staying Private vs. Going Public: [21:08 – 22:24]
• Leadership Lessons & Defining Moments: [24:21 – 27:40]
• Sustainability, People & Manufacturing Philosophy: [27:40 – 31:51]
• Rapid Fire "Get To Know Valerie": [32:05 – 33:47]

Rapid Fire with Valerie Mars ([32:22])

• Favorite candy? Peanut M&Ms.
• Alternate career choice? Warren Buffett.
• Desired skill: "Be able to paint."
• Most unusual thing eaten? “Mostly avoided it and been hungry at night."
• Dog person or cat person? “Longtime cat person, currently petless.”
• Top three leadership traits? "Humility, ability to understand what it's like to be on the receiving end of them, and to be human."
• What would you want to know about the future? "If the planet is going to make it."

Closing Takeaways

• Mars’ century-long growth is anchored in a rigorously values-driven culture, learning to balance family legacy and professional expertise.
• Long-termism, stakeholder mutuality, independence, and sustainability are not buzzwords—they are operational imperatives, guiding both daily operations and strategic decisions.
• Family businesses, especially through generational transitions, must actively work to keep human capital and legacy in harmony, while keeping themselves relevant to future generations and modern leadership challenges.
• Valerie Mars shows profound humility and candid advice on both leadership and stewardship: it’s not just about the numbers, but about doing right by people, partners, and the planet, for decades to come.

For family business leaders or those interested in responsible, purpose-driven management, this episode offers inspiration, nuanced insights, and tangible wisdom from one of the world’s iconic private companies.