Mars Crowned Best Multinational Workplace in Europe 2016

LONDON, June 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

At Mars, the secret to our success is our people. Today, Mars UK is celebrating as one of a number of Mars Europe sites who together succeeded in scooping the coveted title of Best Multinational Workplace in Europe at the annual Great Places to Work (GPTW) 2016 awards ceremony held in the RDS in Dublin, Ireland last night.

With over 18,400 Associates across Europe, and some of the best-loved brands in the world, Mars Europe beat off stiff competition from over 2,250 companies who took the GPTW survey, across 19 countries. This latest accolade means double celebrations for Mars UK, who earlier this year was recognised as the thirteenth Best Large Workplace in UK 2016.

Commenting at the awards ceremony in Dublin, Gilles Morel, Regional President of Mars Chocolate Europe & Eurasia, said, "I'm honoured to be here in Dublin on behalf of Mars, incorporated, for the European Great Place to Work awards. I'm excited by our nominations because they reflect the pride and dedication of our European Associates, now over 18,400, since we first started out in Europe in 1932."

"I can vouch for Mars being a great place to work after spending 26 years of my career at this company and being a witness to the effort we place on development of our people to grow our business. We believe our principled-base culture results in making a difference not only to our people but to business growth, our consumers, our communities, and to our planet."  

As a private, family-owned business, Mars' unique culture is all about giving Associates the chance to grow and thrive with pride - through best-in-class training and development and nurturing an entrepreneurial spirit across the business. Now Europe's Best Place to Work, Mars has also been named by Fortune as one of the Top 100 Best Companies to Work For and has collected several other Great Place to Work awards around the world.

Blas Maquivar, President, Mars Chocolate UK, said, "For me, it's the Mars culture that really makes Mars a great place to work - it's all about inclusivity, warmth, high energy and dedication. Mars gives us the opportunity to continue to learn and be an entrepreneur. All of this drives us to strive for the highest standards and to continue to push the boundaries of success for the business. Having our efforts recognised and knowing that we are now the Best Place to Work in Europe is something we can all be exceptionally proud of."

The Five Principles at Mars - Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom - form the foundation of the company's culture and approach to business. As part of the GPTW survey, each Mars Associate answered an anonymous 'trust index survey' which gathers the perceptions of Mars Associates across five dimensions.

About Mars UK 

Since 1932 Mars has been producing much loved brands in the UK. Employing nearly 4,000 Associates across several sites in the UK, we manufacture confectionery, food, petcare and drinks products, with brands including MARS, SNICKERS, GALAXY, MALTESERS, EXTRA, ORBIT, PEDIGREE, WHISKAS, UNCLE BEN'S, DOLMIO, KLIX and FLAVIA. Mars in the UK is part of Mars, Incorporated, a family owned company and one of the world's leading branded manufacturers. How we work at Mars is guided by our Five Principles: Quality, Responsibility, Mutuality, Efficiency and Freedom. Associates put our Mars Principles into action every day to make a difference for people and the planet through our performance.

About Mars in Europe 

In Europe: Mars' footprint in Europe is significant and historic.

• First European based operation opened in 1932 in Slough, west of London
• 18,400 Associates today
• 34 factories (including one of the biggest chocolate factories in the world, in Veghel, Netherlands - $100 million investment in July 2015)
• The majority of Mars' raw materials are locally sourced
• Mars Global Headquarters for Food and Petcare based in Brussels
• Mars European Headquarters for Segments are Munich Germany for Wrigley, Verden Germany for Petcare, Brussels for Food, Brussels for Chocolate, Basingstoke UK for Drinks

About Great Places to Work 

Great Place to Work, headquartered in San Francisco, is a global research, consulting and training firm that helps organisations identify, create and sustain great workplaces through the development of high-trust workplace cultures.  Great Place to Work serves businesses, non-profit organisations and government agencies in more than 50 countries.