MCLEAN, VA — Mars has hired former Carlsberg VP Anders Bering to lead global public affairs initiatives.

As Mars’ VP of global  public affairs, Bering’s wide-reaching remit includes leading the company’s government relations service centers in Washington DC, Brussels, Beijing and Moscow, as well as its public policy and international government relations teams.

He succeeds Matthias Berninger, who stepped down from the position in January 2019 to join Bayer, where he serves as senior VP of public affairs & sustainability.

Bering’s responsibilities will include establishing Mars’ public policy positions and public affairs strategies, while driving stakeholder and influencer engagement on a wide range of issues including climate change, human rights and trade. He will be based in McLean, Virginia and report to Andy Pharoah, Mars’ global VP for corporate affairs & sustainability.

Bering joins Mars from Carlsberg Group, where he led the global corporate affairs function, which included overseeing internal and external communications, government relations and sustainability. Earlier in his career, Bering worked for the Danish Ministry of Economic and Business Affairs and the European Commission in Belgium.

“I’m delighted to welcome Anders to our Mars corporate affairs leadership team,” Pharoah said. “As the dynamics of global policy continue to shift around us, it’s more important than ever that businesses like Mars are working proactively to create the world we want tomorrow. With his significant experience leading government relations and sustainability initiatives for Carlsberg, Anders will bring a valuable, holistic perspective as we continue strengthening our global corporate reputation.”