PepsiCo Names Mike Spanos CEO for Asia, Middle East and North Africa

Press release

Published December 13th, 2017 - 11:42 GMT

PepsiCo has announced a number of moves effective January 1, 2018.

PepsiCo, Inc. today announced that, effective January 1, 2018, Mike Spanos, currently President, PepsiCo Greater China Region, will become Chief Executive Officer, Asia, Middle East and North Africa (AMENA), and Sanjeev Chadha, currently Chief Executive Officer of AMENA, will become Chairman of AMENA through the end of Q1 2018. Both Spanos and Chadha will report to PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi.

"We have a strong bench of senior executives, and we are thrilled to promote Mike, one of our most seasoned and proven leaders, into this important role," said Nooyi. "Most recently, Mike has led our business in China through unprecedented change, growing our foods and beverage businesses and investing in our nutrition portfolio."

Nooyi continued, "On behalf of the entire team, I want to thank Sanjeev for his exemplary career at PepsiCo over the last 27 years and his extraordinary commitment to our company. His continued support as Chairman of AMENA until his retirement at the end of March will ensure a smooth transition."

Spanos has had a notable career at PepsiCo, spanning 24 years with posts in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Prior to leading PepsiCo's China business, he led the sales organization across PepsiCo's North America Beverages portfolio, and served as SVP and General Manager for the West Business Unit of the company's beverage operations. Previously, Spanos held various sales and GM roles, including Country Manager for Turkey and VP of Sales and Food Service for The Pepsi Bottling Group, Inc. He began his PepsiCo career as a frontline territory development manager in beverages.

The following moves are also effective January 1, 2018:

Ram Krishnan, currently Senior Vice President and General Manager of the global PepsiCo Walmart business, will become President, Greater China Region (GCR), succeeding Spanos. In his new role, he will be responsible for PepsiCo's China business across beverages, foods and nutrition, working closely with the GCR leadership team and partners across AMENA to advance the company's growth in China. He will be based in Shanghai and report to Spanos.

Krishnan brings more than a decade of experience at PepsiCo, where he has served in a number of senior leadership roles across brand and shopper marketing. In his current role, he leads the team that oversees the company's partnership with Walmart, bolstering PepsiCo's position as one of Walmart's leading suppliers. Previously, he served as Frito-Lay North America's (FLNA) Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.

Chris Turner, currently Senior Vice President of Transformation for Frito-Lay North America, will become Senior Vice President and General Manager of the global PepsiCo Walmart business, reporting to Al Carey, Chief Executive Officer for North America.

Turner joined PepsiCo almost two years ago, and is currently responsible for FLNA's Go-To-Market (GTM) organization in addition to leading the sector's transformation initiatives. Prior to joining PepsiCo, he was a Partner in the Dallas office of McKinsey & Company.

"At PepsiCo, we are fortunate to have the best talent in the industry, from our frontline associates to our senior executives," Nooyi added.

"Both Ram and Chris are highly respected leaders with proven track records of success, and we are pleased when the opportunity presents itself to elevate our senior executives into new roles in support of personal and professional growth, while also enabling the success of PepsiCo."

Background Information

Pepsi Cola International

In 1965, Donald Kendall, the CEO of Pepsi-Cola, and Herman Lay, the CEO of Frito-Lay, recognized what they called “a marriage made in heaven,” a single company delivering perfectly-salty snacks served alongside the best cola on earth. Their vision led to what quickly became one of the world's leading food and beverage companies: PepsiCo.

For more than 50 years, as tastes, trends and lifestyles have changed, PepsiCo has evolved with them. Our willingness to adapt and grow has transformed our snack and soda company into a collection of global brands including Pepsi and Quaker, Gatorade and Tropicana, Frito-Lay and beyond. Today, PepsiCo is one of the world’s most-respected companies with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories and 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.