Benazir Barlet-Batada: From chocolate bars to chocolate biscuits

If there’s one thing Benazir Barlet-Batada will never be short of it’ll be something sweet to have with a cup of tea.

Following up a career at Mondelez that lasted 15 years is no small feat, but Barlet-Batada continues to showcase her gift for promoting some of Britain’s greatest confectionery brands now she is at the helm of marketing at the biscuit brand, McVitie’s.

Now six months into her latest role at confectionary and food giant Pladis Global, where she is currently marketing director for McVitie’s Masterbrand, Barlet-Batada joined at a pivotal moment – the centenary of the iconic chocolate digestive.

“This 100th anniversary is not just about a biscuit. It’s a national celebration of every biscuit break, every conversation, and every cherished moment we’ve all shared with McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives over the last century," says Barlet-Bartada.

She left Mondelez in November 2022, having latterly served as its senior marketing director for confectionary across the UK and Ireland. In that role, she was a member of UK&I Sales and Marketing Leadership team leading UK&I strategy for £700m portfolio. This included brands such as: Cadbury, Maynards Bassett's, Green & Black's, Bassett's Vitamins, Sour Patch Kids and The Natural Confectionery Company, and she had direct responsibility for a team of 20 marketers.

During her year-long career break she studied for a culinary diploma, passing with Merit, followed by gaining a Level 2 qualification in Wines and WSET Level 2 in Wines at Leith's School of Food and Wine. These would be put to good use during a near-six- month period as director of global brands at Treasury Wine Estates when she returned to the world of marketing in September 2023.

But a good confectionery marketer is hard to find, and so she was lured to the world of biscuits over at Pladis Global to support one of its most historic moments.

Celebrating the chocolate digestive

Under the watch of Aslı Özen Turhan, chief marketing officer at Pladis UK&I, to mark the occasion, a major out of home campaign has been developed by agency of record TBWA\London, entitled ‘100 Years of the Nation’s Greatest Invention', which has seen the circular biscuit feature against other national icons such as the London Eye and Tower Bridge.

Meanwhile, an immersive pop-up store - The has McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives Experience – opened for a three-day period, where fans can win unique biscuit-based artwork and limited-edition merch. Visitors will also be able to sample an exclusive range of McVitie’s treats, while the company has also launched a competition to give away over £100,000. 

"Benazir is a brilliantly creative marketer with an instinct for amplifying ideas in innovative ways - and that talent has certainly come to the fore in celebrating 100 years of not just the nation's greatest biscuit, but (and be honest, you agree with us here) the nation's greatest invention,” says Larissa Vince, CEO for TBWA\London.

“Across PR, social, DOOH takeovers, giant projections on landmark buildings and a star-studded launch event, she's been a tireless driver of excellence and seeker of fame in a way that we across all the agency teams have loved and appreciated,” Vince continues.

Discussing the campaign work, Aslı Özen Turhan, says: “Very few things in life stay loved for a century, but the chocolate digestive has stood the test of time. It’s been there for tea breaks, late-night snacks, and countless moments in between, always delicious, always dependable. This campaign is a fun, celebratory way to mark 100 years, highlighting what makes McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives so special. Because when something has been adored for this long, it’s more than just a biscuit, it’s part of our culture, our history, and, let’s be honest, our best tea-time companion.”

Alongside the London skyline, the campaign will also appear across spectacular large-format Ocean Outdoor screens in Stockholm, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Helsinki.