Cathryn Gunther

Cathryn Gunther serves as the Global Head of Culture and Associate Experience at Mars. In this role since 2021, Cathryn is responsible for a portfolio of strategic cultural initiatives to ensure exceptional business performance and a thriving workforce. Mars Inc. is a family-owned company that produces some of the world’s leading food, snacking, pet nutrition and veterinary care services, operating in more than 80 countries and with a workforce of 150,000+ Associates.

Prior to her tenure at Mars, Cathryn launched and led Global Population Health at Merck and championed a portfolio of high-impact population health initiatives resulting in expanded market access, new sources of revenue, novel public private partnerships and improved health metrics.

Cathryn continues to advance efforts to more consistently and accurately assess the business impact of workforce well-being efforts, including the links between Associate mental health and physical health and safety. She has been a thought leader in this work, is a member of Business Group on Health’s Wellbeing & Workforce Strategy Institute, a member of the Steering Committee for the Global Chief Medical and Health Officers Network, (supported by IBM), and an advisor and member for the Culture of Health for Business Task Force at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Global Reporting Initiative.

Cathryn represented Merck in its engagement with One Mind at Work, has been a member of the Global Guiding Council since joining Mars and bringing the company into One Mind at Work membership, and is stepping into the role of Chair for the Global Guiding Council in 2025.

Cathryn received the 2020 Salus Award for Individual Voices in Workplace Mental Health while at Merck.