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Claus Aagaard is Mars Chief Financial Officer (CFO). Appointed CFO in 2016, Aagaard is responsible for Finance, Strategy, Corporate Development, Digital, and Shared Services for Mars.

Aagaard brings 20+ years of experience with the business to his role on the Mars leadership team. He has an extensive background in finance, strategic planning, and mergers and acquisitions, which he leverages to set clear strategic priorities and resource allocation to drive purpose-led value creation and strong performance so that Mars can continue to invest in future growth and keep the business private.

Beyond the numbers, Aagaard is widely admired for his strategic thinking, leadership qualities and a strong drive to advance the ESG agenda. He began his work with Mars in 2001 as Strategy Development Manager in Europe, advancing through a series of important Service & Finance (S&F) roles across markets and regions, including the Nordics & Central region and Mars Central Europe. He served as a Staff Officer in Corporate from 2005-2006 before being promoted to Vice President of S&F for Western Europe. In 2009, with the creation of our global business segments organization, Aagaard was appointed CFO for the Petcare segment where he drove many years of exceptional growth, strategic portfolio expansion, financial performance and value creation. In this role he was instrumental in the acquisition of IAMS and Mars expansion into vet health services.

Prior to joining Mars, Aagaard spent 11 years with Arla Foods where he ultimately served as Finance Director for the U.K.

Aagaard is a board member of Bread for the City, a Washington, D.C. non-profit organization helping D.C. residents living with low income to develop - by providing food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services to reduce the burden of poverty.

Aagaard earned both a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master Diploma degree in Finance and Accounting from the Business School in his native Herning, Denmark. He lives in the Washington, D.C. area with his wife and four young children, and enjoys living an active lifestyle.