2023 Grocery Industry Icons & Innovators

Alanna McDonald is an accomplished senior leader with more than 20 years of experience growing some of the most recognizable brands around the globe. She brings deep consumer packaged goods expertise, strong global perspective on what consumers want and what retailers need and is skilled at driving value creation across brands. Alanna is also a passionate champion of equity, inclusion and diversity, self-improvement and prioritizing the development of team members.

Alanna joined Mars in November 2022 and currently serves as the Regional President for Mars Pet Nutrition North America, headquartered in Franklin, Tennessee. In this role, Alanna is responsible for the full portfolio of brands, including beloved brands like PEDIGREE®, IAMS™ and CESAR®, that serve more than 90 million pet owning households throughout the region. Core to her role is growing and evolving the company's talented Associates, brands and operations – with her robust global experience – while driving the company's purpose: A BETTER WORLD FOR PETS.

Prior to her appointment at Mars Pet Nutrition North America, the largest market for the Pet Nutrition business, McDonald spent the last seven years in general management roles building and growing iconic beauty brands in the U.S. and Canada. Most recently, she was President of Maybelline New York, Garnier and essie at L'Oreal, where she led her teams to deliver record-breaking results, amplifying Maybelline as the national leader in the makeup category with significant growth in e-commerce. Through McDonald's highly effective portfolio management strategies, the business was able to reinvest in key growth priorities. Prior to L'Oreal, McDonald spent 17 years at Procter & Gamble, living and working in China, Hong Kong, Canada and the U.S. in a variety of roles focused on category leadership, sales and marketing/brand management.

McDonald holds a bachelor's degree in Commerce from The University of Calgary and is on the Board of Directors at Big Rock Brewery based in Calgary. Alanna is in the process of relocating to the Nashville area with her husband Andrew and their two children Garrett and Connor. Outside of work, Alanna can be found staying active with her family and enjoying food and drink experiences with friends (ideally with music and dancing).