Samantha Greenwood has been named President of MPM Products' North America business, stepping up from her role as Global Chief Marketing Officer as the U.K.-based premium cat food group deepens its push into what it calls its most strategically important market. Greenwood assumed the position in July; MPM disclosed the appointment publicly on October 2.
The Commercial Stakes
The promotion underscores how central the U.S. has become to MPM's financial profile. The country now generates more than 40.0% of group revenue — a share built largely since 2021, when the company expanded its domestic team and secured shelf and digital placement at Chewy, Amazon, and PetSmart. The broader market backdrop supports the ambition: U.S. pet industry spending reached $158 billion in 2025 and is projected by the American Pet Products Association to hit $165 billion in 2026. Pet ownership spans 95 million U.S. households, with cats present in 39.0% of them.
MPM's portfolio — anchored by Applaws, Reveal, and Encore — competes in the premium wet cat food segment on a limited-ingredients platform: real poultry or fish cuts, grain-free recipes, and no artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives. The company, founded in 2002, now operates in more than 50 markets with offices in the U.K., U.S., Australia, China, and Thailand. It completed a private equity ownership change in 2025, transitioning from 3i Group to Partners Group — a transaction Greenwood helped navigate in her CMO capacity.
Greenwood's Background
Greenwood brings more than 25 years of international brand development experience to the role. Before joining MPM in 2022 she held senior positions at Mondelēz International and Kraft Heinz, working across premium coffee and chocolate categories and based in the New Jersey area for eight years. MPM Chief Executive Officer Julian Bambridge cited her ability to convert consumer insight into commercial results as the deciding factor. "Her deep understanding of our consumers, strong connection to our brands, and proven ability to translate insight into commercial success make her uniquely qualified to lead our U.S. business," Bambridge said.
Innovation Pipeline
Greenwood has identified two structural growth levers for the North America operation. First, the surge in cat adoptions during the Covid pandemic has produced a large cohort of animals now entering their senior years, prompting MPM to develop a dedicated "Healthy Ageing" line under the Applaws platform. Second, she is targeting Gen Z pet owners, who are disproportionately choosing cats over dogs and seeking brands that align with sustainability values — an attribute MPM reinforces through its Certified B Corporation status. The company achieved B Corp recertification this year, supported by milestones including donating more than 7.7 million meals since 2021 and launching a climate action plan.
The leadership move signals that MPM intends to compete aggressively in the premium pet food segment, a category that has proved resilient even as broader consumer spending moderates. For foodservice-adjacent observers tracking ingredient sourcing and protein trends, MPM's clean-label, high-meat-content positioning also reflects the same "humanization" dynamic reshaping human food — a connection Greenwood herself embodied by crossing over from packaged-goods giants to the pet nutrition aisle.
Written by Michael Politz, Author of Guide to Restaurant Success: The Proven Process for Starting Any Restaurant Business From Scratch to Success (ISBN: 978-1-119-66896-1), Founder of Food & Beverage Magazine, the leading online magazine and resource in the industry. Designer of the Bluetooth logo and recognized in Entrepreneur Magazine's "Top 40 Under 40" for founding American Wholesale Floral, Politz is also the Co-founder of the Proof Awards and the CPG Awards and a partner in numerous consumer brands across the food and beverage sector.
