PepsiCo Appoints CEOs of Frito-Lay, North America Beverages

PepsiCo Inc. has appointed Frito-Lay North America President and COO Vivek Sankaran the business’ CEO, and Kirk Tanner, currently president and COO of North America Beverages, that division’s CEO. These moves come in the wake of the impending retirement of Albert P. Carey, CEO of PepsiCo North America, who will depart in March 2019 after four decades at the Purchase, N.Y.-based company

“Al has been an invaluable leader, colleague, advisor and friend, and will be missed by all of us at PepsiCo and all of the customers and partners he worked with over his exemplary career,” noted CEO Ramon Laguarta, who succeeded Indra Nooyi in October. “Al’s unique combination of style, skill, entrepreneurial spirit and executional excellence has helped make PepsiCo one of the most admired businesses in the world, and raised the bar for our current and future associates. We wish him all the best in his next chapter. While Al leaves big shoes to fill, I have every confidence in our North America businesses under the skilled leadership of Vivek and Kirk in these critical roles.”

“PepsiCo has been like family to me for almost 38 years, and to say this was a difficult decision for me is an understatement,” said Carey. “I am so proud of the many accomplishments we achieved as a team along the way, especially with our customers and our front-line associates. PepsiCo has a bright future, and I’m excited about the compelling growth agenda Ramon is bringing. I look forward to watching PepsiCo’s continued success for many years to come.”

PepsiCo’s food and beverage portfolio includes such well-known brands as Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana.