PURCHASE, N.Y. — Ram Krishnan has been named global chief commercial officer at PepsiCo, Inc. Mr. Krishnan is currently PepsiCo’s chief executive officer for Greater China and will continue to lead the company’s Greater China sector. 

Mr. Krishna succeeds Laxman Narasimhan, who is leaving PepsiCo to join Reckitt Benckiser Group as c.e.o..

Mr. Krishnan has held various executive positions at PepsiCo since joining the company in 2006. Before his appointment to lead the company’s China businesses, he was

North American commercial general manager and senior vice-president, Walmart Customer Team. He also has held multiple positions at Frito-Lay, including chief marketing officer. 

"Ram is a proven leader with deep consumer and customer understanding who also knows how to harness data to drive business growth,” said Ramon Laguarta, chairman and c.e.o. of PepsiCo. “Equally important, he embodies how we do business — The PepsiCo Way — embracing consumer centricity, acting as an owner and celebrating success across each position that he's held.”