Former Mars CEO Grant Reid has joined Lipton Teas & Infusions as the hot-drinks group’s chair.

Lipton, which hired a new CEO in October, said Reid takes up the position “effective immediately”.

Reid, who spent more than three decades at Mars, was the Snickers and Pedigree maker’s chief executive for eight years up to September 2022. He was succeeded by Poul Weihrauch, the president of Mars’ pet-care business.

“I am thrilled that someone with the stature and experience of Grant has agreed to become our new chair and I am confident he will be an invaluable support and source of wisdom and challenge for all of us,” Lipton CEO Marc Busain said.

Reid will retain his positions on the boards of Vanguard and Marriott International.

Busain joined Lipton from Heineken, where he spent most of his career after starting the brewing giant’s finance team in 1995.

In October, the company, which sells in 150 markets, confirmed it had offloaded two factories in Türkiye.

Lipton said the sale of the sites in Rize to local tea business Öz-Gür Çay was in line with its efforts to focus “on our core strengths”.

Last year also saw Lipton open a blending and packing site in Sakarya, a city in western Türkiye. Tea from the factories in Rize continue to be sent to the facility in Sakarya for blending and packing.

The Pukka and PG Tips maker, which is controlled by private-equity firm CVC Capital Partners, buys around 4% of the world's tea output, according to its website.

According to the company's 2025 sustainability report, it generated revenue of €1.57bn ($1.83bn) in 2024.