Sebastian Koenig

Global Marketing Leader in FMCG | Driving Portfolio Growth, Brand Strategy & NPD across Ice Cream, Chocolate and Gum

Greater Chicago Area

About

I am a global FMCG marketing and innovation leader with 15+ years of experience across Mars Snacking and Lidl, spanning brand strategy, portfolio innovation, European brand leadership, retail execution, and cross-market growth. As a member of the Global Ice Cream Leadership Team, I help shape the global marketing and growth agenda for Mars Wrigley’s Ice Cream business. My work focuses on long-term brand and portfolio strategy, brand DNA and positioning, consumer-led growth platforms, and cross-regional alignment across iconic snacking brands. I partner with regional marketing leaders, local markets, R&D, supply chain, commercial, finance, and external manufacturing partners to translate strategic ambition into scalable, market-ready initiatives. This includes aligning regional priorities, identifying future-back innovation opportunities, and strengthening how global strategies are adapted and executed across markets. My career has given me an end-to-end perspective on how brands grow — from store-level execution and sales leadership at Lidl, to German market activation, European brand management, global SNICKERS brand strategy, and now global Ice Cream marketing and innovation leadership. I am energized by ambiguous growth challenges, cross-functional leadership, and strategies that translate into real market impact. I am particularly passionate about consumer-led brand building, portfolio strategy, scalable innovation, category growth, and developing high-performing international teams. Core areas of expertise: Global Marketing Strategy | Brand Strategy | Brand DNA & Positioning | FMCG Innovation | Portfolio Strategy | New Product Development | Consumer Insights | Category Growth | Ice Cream | Snacking & Confectionery | Cross-Regional Collaboration | Commercial Innovation | International Markets | Cross-Functional Leadership | P&L-Oriented Growth | Retail & POS Activation

Experience

  • Mars (16 yrs 9 mos)
    • Global Marketing Director Ice Cream
      May 2026 - Present · 2 mos

    • Sr. Global Innovation Manager Ice Cream
      Jun 2020 - Apr 2026 · 5 yrs 11 mos

    • Sr. Global Brand Manager Snickers
      Oct 2017 - Jun 2020 · 2 yrs 9 mos

  • Area Sales Manager at Lidl Vertriebs-Gmbh & Co. Kg
    Oct 2006 - Sep 2009 · 3 yrs