PepsiCo A/NZ brings on first group chief marketing officer

Pepsico Australia and New Zealand has appointed its first group chief marketing officer overseeing both beverage and snacks portfolios.

Former Frito-Lay US marketing, strategy and insights leader, Vandita Pandey, is taking up the CMO helm locally after 11 years with the PepsiCo company overseas. She was most recently general manager of Bare Snacks, where she spearheaded a multi-year growth strategy for the acquired business unit.

Prior to this, Pandey was senior director and chief of staff for the company’s CMO, responsible for partnering and supporting the CMO and a marketing department of 250 people. She’s also worked as a marketing manager on the Doritos and Fritos brands, in portfolio strategy and analytics and brand marketing.

Credit: PepsiCO

Her resume also includes analyst and equity research roles at Bank of America and Morgan Stanley.   

In a statement, PepsiCo said Pandey’s new role sees her with end-to-end marketing responsibilities aimed at accelerating the business and deliver consistent results. She will also partner closely with commercial and sales leadership to engage with customers and drive category growth.

Pandey said she was looking forward to growing the business and the legacy of its iconic brands in A/NZ. She officially started this week.

“I’m excited to have the opportunity to work on some of the most loved brands in Australia and New Zealand. I’m looking forward to strengthening and further developing the snacks and beverages portfolio with the talented PepsiCo ANZ team,” she stated.

PepsiCo A/NZ CEO, Danny Celoni, highlighted Pandey’s experience and expertise as a significant asset.  

“We are thrilled to have Vandita lead our marketing efforts across snacks and beverages in a newly created role that will really drive the power of one by bringing both sides of the business together for the first time,” he said.  

The news comes a month after PepsiCo introduced a new ‘flextime’ policy, removing official start and finish times for all employees across the A/NZ business. At the time, Celoni said the new policy would allow people to choose their work hours in order to balance professional and personal priorities.  

“We completely recognise that a one size fits all work model does not suit everyone in our diverse organisation,” he said. “Our commitment to fostering a culture of flexible working for all ensures we have the best people doing their best work every day.”  

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