ST. CHARLES, MO. — Mars, Inc.’s Royal Canin pet nutrition division announced that it has appointed Kira Best to vice president of sales, Chewy. Best will assume the role effective June 1.

Best originally joined Royal Canin in 2015 as national account manager, leveraging extensive experience from past roles at Unilever and General Mills, as well as experience in account management, retail sales, category and trade management. Prior to her promotion, Best served Royal Canin as field retail team leader, in which she strengthened the company’s relationship with e-commerce retail giant Chewy, one of the company’s largest customers. According to Royal Canin, Best has an “incredible” plan to advance the company’s growth.

“I had the privilege to learn from a dynamic leader who has helped with my professional development to set me up for success in this role,” Best said. “I look forward to expanding upon the incredible foundation built in partnership with Chewy to help feed more cats and dogs across the United States.”

Alongside her work, Best also led Royal Canin’s Black Advisory Council Associate Resource Group, and participated in the 2021 McKinsey Black Leadership Academy and the 2020 cohort of Women Leading Purposefully program at Mars.

In her new role, Best will report to Daryn Brown, regional president of Royal Canin North America.

“Kira's experience made her the ideal candidate for this role,” Brown said. “She is a known leader across the business who has already made an incredible impact. I am confident she will continue to further our mission while supporting our Associates in their career development in this role.”

With Best’s promotion, Royal Canin’s North America leadership team now contains five women, nearly 42% of all senior leaders throughout its business.

Read more about personnel changes throughout the industry.