LONDON — Bringing a fresh perspective to a company with deep-rooted expertise can be a powerful catalyst for innovation. In her role as global vice president of Research & Development at Mars Pet Nutrition, Elisabetta Pierangelo is helping to challenge conventional thinking, uncover new opportunities and encourage her teams to approach familiar problems in new ways. Her experience outside of Mars has complemented the deep knowledge, passion and commitment that already exist across the organization.

“Rather than seeing my outsider perspective as a disadvantage, I used it to bring fresh ideas and identify opportunities to apply best practices from other sectors,” she said. “It was challenging, but it was also one of the most rewarding periods of my career.”

By combining her external viewpoint with the expertise and passion of Mars associates, she has helped foster an environment where diverse perspectives come together to spark new ideas and drive meaningful progress.

In this Q&A, Pierangelo shares insights on innovation, leadership, and how Mars can continue building on its strengths to create lasting impact for consumers, customers and pets around the world.

PFP: How did you get your start in the pet industry, and how did that experience lead you to where you are now?

Pierangelo: My time in the pet industry has been relatively short, but I was drawn to its mission of improving the lives of pets and the people who care for them. What excited me most was the opportunity to bring a fresh perspective to R&D and innovation, drawing on experiences and insights from outside the industry.

That external viewpoint, combined with the deep expertise and passion of our in-house teams, has created a powerful environment for innovation. Together, we’ve built a compelling vision for the future for research and development — one that continues to motivate me today.

PFP: What has been your biggest challenge — personal or professional — related to your work in the pet industry?

Pierangelo: One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced was transitioning into a new industry and quickly building expertise in a completely new category. I had to learn the market, understand customer needs, and establish credibility with colleagues and stakeholders who had deep industry experience.

The learning curve was steep, but as a naturally curious person I immersed myself in the category, sought out experts, asked a lot of questions, and actively looked for connections between my previous experience and the pet industry. Rather than seeing my outsider perspective as a disadvantage, I used it to bring fresh ideas and identify opportunities to apply best practices from other sectors. It was challenging, but it was also one of the most rewarding periods of my career.

PFP: Tell me about a professional accomplishment in the pet industry that you are proud of.

Pierangelo: An accomplishment I’m particularly proud of is transforming how we drive innovation at Mars Pet Nutrition — redesigning our operating model and strengthening our pipelines while embedding new technologies and working on expanding our digital capabilities. We ensure that everything we develop for brands like PEDIGREE®, WHISKAS®, SHEBA® and IAMS™, is science‑backed high-quality nutrition. Our innovation is truly led by the evolving needs of pets and pet parents.

PFP: What is top of mind for you and/or your business in the industry right now?

Pierangelo: What’s top of mind for me right now is how we continue to meet the expectations of the next generation of pet parents at scale. We already serve over 440 million pet parents in a fast-growing category, with 47% being first-time owners — highlighting rapidly evolving needs. Today’s consumers expect products that are high-quality, health-focused, personalized, sustainable, affordable — and they expect brands to move faster than ever before. The challenge is modernizing the category and delivering against those evolving expectations. That’s where the biggest opportunity lies: finding new ways to innovate and scale so we can create better experiences for pets and pet parents around the world, without sacrificing the product quality and safety that define our brands.

PFP: If you could pick three trends influencing the industry today, which are the most important and why?

Pierangelo: Lower processed — A rapidly growing category driven by pet parents’ desire to feed their pets diets that mirror the way they themselves eat.

Sensory experience — Feeding is a shared bonding experience between pet and pet parent, so it must be an enjoyable multi-sensory experience for both.

Functional health — Pet foods, treat or supplements formulated to deliver targeted, science-backed health benefits to actively support wellbeing for healthier, happier pets.

PFP: What is something about the pet industry that people outside of the industry may not realize?

Pierangelo: One thing that often surprises people is how sophisticated and science‑driven the pet nutrition category really is. From the outside, it can look like a relatively simple consumer product, but in reality, it draws on deep expertise in biology, nutrition and processing to deliver complete-and-balanced nutrition, and increasingly, to support specific health needs, such as gut health and overall wellbeing.

There is also a unique emotional dimension to the category. Pets are often viewed as family members, and that fundamentally changes how people make decisions. Pet parents are deeply committed to their pets’ wellbeing, which makes the category both resilient and very different from traditional fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) — it sits at the intersection of food, health and emotional connection. And that combination is what makes this industry both incredibly challenging and incredibly rewarding to work in.

“Broad experience builds depth and perspective; it makes us more rounded professionals who can see problems from multiple angles and bring more value to every role,” said Elisabetta Pierangelo, Mars Pet Nutrition.

PFP: What advice would you give to other women in this industry?

Pierangelo: Keep pursuing opportunities outside of your comfort zone. At the time, some roles or projects may feel unrelated or uncertain, but looking back, the dots connect in ways you couldn’t have planned. Broad experience builds depth and perspective; it makes us more rounded professionals who can see problems from multiple angles and bring more value to every role. Growth rarely happens in familiar spaces, and every step — even the uncertain ones — builds momentum for the next.

PFP: Just for fun, do you consider yourself a dog person or a cat person? Or, if you have pets of your own, tell us a little bit about them. 

Pierangelo: I’m a dog person; they bring me unsurpassed joy! At Mars, our offices are dog-friendly, so we all get to share the warmth and happiness (and occasional chaos) that dogs bring into everyday life.

Elisabetta Pierangelo is global vice president of Research & Development at Mars Pet Nutrition, where she leads science-led innovation across some of the pet care industry’s most iconic global brands, including PEDIGREE®, SHEBA®, WHISKAS® and IAMS™. With more than 20 years of R&D expertise, Pierangelo plays a key role in shaping the future of pet nutrition, ensuring the company’s brands and products continue to deliver innovative and high-quality nutrition for the 440 million pets and pet parents Mars serves worldwide.

Continue reading about other female leaders featured in our Women in the Pet Industry series.