PepsiCo appoints Paula Santilli as its Latin American CEO

PepsiCo has appointed Paula Santilli, the current president of its Mexico PepsiCo Foods division, as the new chief executive officer of its Latin American unit, effective from 1 May 2019.

Santilli succeeds Laxman Narasimhan, who was recently named as PepsiCo’s new global chief commercial officer, and Santilli will report directly to PepsiCo chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta.

Santilli joined PepsiCo following its acquisition of the Quaker Oats Company, where she had served in various leadership roles, and she has also held positions at Campbell Soup and Kellogg in Argentina.

At PepsiCo, she has held numerous management roles, including a stint as the chief operating officer of PepsiCo Mexico Foods, serving as the vice-president and general manager for PepsiCo’s Mexico Savory business and holding leadership roles in beverages in both Mexico and Argentina.

As a result of the appointment, Roberto Martinez, currently the chief commercial officer for PepsiCo Latin America, will succeed Santilli as the new president of Mexico PepsiCo Foods, also effective from 1 May 2019.

PepsiCo chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta said: “As we focus on becoming more consumer-centric and faster, stronger and better in everything we do, we are fortunate to have two strong and skilled PepsiCo leaders to take on the important roles of overseeing our Latin America business and our Mexico Foods business.

“Paula brings a deep understanding of our business, the marketplace and our consumers in Latin America, and commercial expertise across both the food and beverage categories.

“She has a proven track record of delivering results, while also advancing diversity and inclusion. I am absolutely confident she is the ideal leader for this key sector as we work to get closer to our consumers and capture new growth opportunities.

“Roberto also has a strong history of delivering results in both foods and beverages across the Latin America sector, and he will be a key player in our efforts to drive further growth for our food business in Mexico, one of our top markets.”