PURCHASE, N.Y. — Ramon Laguarta has been named president of PepsiCo, Inc., effective Sept. 1. Currently, Mr. Laguarta is chief executive officer of Europe Sub-Saharan Africa (ESSA) for the company. In his new role, he will oversee PepsiCo’s global category groups, global operations, corporate strategy, PepsiCo Foundation and public policy and government affairs functions.
“Mr. Laguarta will shape PepsiCo's corporate strategy, work closely with business units to deliver top-line growth, drive productivity to enable this growth, and invest in new areas of disruptive innovation, all in support of the company's previously announced Performance with Purpose 2025 agenda,” PepsiCo said.
Mr. Laguarta has been with PepsiCo for more than 20 years. Prior to his most recent position as c.e.o. of ESSA, he was president of developing and emerging markets for PepsiCo Europe. His previous roles at the company include president of PepsiCo’s Eastern Europe Region, commercial vice-president for PepsiCo Europe, general manager for Iberia Snacks and Juices and general manager for Greece Snacks.
Additionally, PepsiCo announced two other leadership appointments effective Sept. 1.
Laxman Narasimhan, currently c.e.o. of Latin America (LATAM), will become c.e.o. of LATAM and ESSA for PepsiCo. In this new role, Mr. Narasimhan will oversee PepsiCo’s food and beverage businesses across both geographical areas, focusing on “unlocking new growth opportunities for the two organizations, sharing commercial strategies and other best practices, and investing in talent development,” the company said.
Prior to his position as c.e.o. of LATAM for PepsiCo, Mr. Narasimhan was c.e.o. of Latin American Foods for the company. He also was senior vice-president and chief financial officer of PepsiCo Americas Foods. Mr. Narasimhan joined PepsiCo in 2012 from McKinsey & Co., where he spent nearly 20 years in a variety of positions, including a senior partner and co-leader of the Global Consumer and Shopper Insights Practice.
Silviu Popovici has been named president of ESSA for PepsiCo. He currently is president of Russia, Ukraine and CIS for the company.
Previously, Mr. Popovici spent three years as president of PepsiCo Russia. Prior to joining PepsiCo, he held several general management positions with the Coca-Cola Co. in Eastern Europe.
“Ramon, Laxman and Silviu are highly respected executives with long track records of delivering strong results throughout their careers,” said Indra Nooyi, chairman and c.e.o. of PepsiCo. “These moves continue our longstanding practice of elevating great leaders within PepsiCo and allowing them to apply their capabilities in new ways that support our strategies for growth. We have an incredibly strong executive team in place, and I have no doubt that our next generation of talent will lift our company to even greater heights in the years ahead.”