HACKETTSTOWN, N.J. — Rick LaBerge has joined Mars Chocolate North America as vice president of sales.

Rick LaBerge

The food and candy manufacturer said Friday that LaBerge will lead the Mars Chocolate sales organization, overseeing the strategy and execution of its retail management, customer account teams, field sales and customer development.

In addition, he will serve as a member of the senior management team and play an active role in industry events, according to Mars.

LaBerge comes to Mars from Johnson & Johnson, where he most recently served as the general manager of the Walmart Global Cross Functional team for the Consumer Products segment.

In that role, he oversaw a complex mix of brands and segments across the consumer sector, representing $1.6 billion in sales, Mars said.

In his more than 20 years at J&J, LaBerge held a variety of sales positions, including in J&J Merck Consumer Pharmaceuticals, McNeil Consumer Healthcare and Nutritionals, and J&J Consumer Products.

Before the general manager post, he served as vice president of OTC medicine customer marketing for McNeil Consumer Healthcare from 2011 to 2012 and as vice president of U.S. field sales from 2009 to 2011.