Helm co-founded Bear earlier this year in partnership with former Innocent commercial director Giles Brook. He left Innocent in June 2008 to establish a brand consultancy called Brand Chat.
The marketer leaves for ahead of the roll-out of post-Christmas marketing activity for the Bear brand.
He replaces Fiona Hughes at Mars, who is to become global petcare marketing director for cat consumer brands such as Sheba and Whiskas.
Helm said he was brought in to Bear only to oversee branding in the run-up to its launch, and always intended to leave the company once the brand was up and running.
He added that Bear will now focus on sales and distribution, and that there is no need for a full-time marketer for the brand 'in the foreseeable future'.
'The product is right, the packaging is right and the digital strategy is sorted,' he said. 'Everything I wanted to do is done.'
Helm will retain an interest in Bear as a non-executive director, and continue to hold equity in the company. 'It was great to launch Bear, but I'm a big-company guy,' he added.
Helm started his career as a graduate trainee at Unilever, before moving to Kraft, where he worked on Golden Churn.
Following that he held roles at St Ivel Foods and Cereal Partners, before moving to Innocent in 2007.
Bear was established as an independent company. Urban Fresh Fruit founders Hayley and Andrew Gait Golding were among its co-founders.
Its snacks range comprises Fruit Nibbles, Granola Nibbles and Fruit Yo-Yos, a baked and rolled 100% fruit product for children.
.jpg)
.jpeg)
