PepsiCo India, a leading food and beverage company, has appointed Jagrut Kotecha as its CEO of India Operations, succeeding Ahmed ElSheikh. Kotecha, who previously served as the senior vice president and chief commercial officer for AMESA (Africa, Middle East, and South Asia regions), brings a wealth of experience to the role.
Kotecha holds a degree in Chemical Engineering from the University of Mumbai and completed his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Marketing from SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS). His professional journey began with Cadbury India in sales between 1992 and 1994, and he joined PepsiCo India in 1994, where he took on various sales and marketing roles. He became the regional sales manager in 1997 and served as the marketing manager for Western Snack until 1999.
Over the years, Kotecha has held diverse roles, including a regional sales role in Thailand between 2000 and 2002, director of sales for foods at ASPACD until 2002, commercial director in the Philippines, and general manager in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei/Pacific, and Mongolia between 2006 and 2010. Since 2011, he has held several key positions, including General Manager-Country Manager in Thailand, VP-Snacks Category India Region, VP Global Affordable Platforms-Foods, and most recently, Senior Vice President Chief Commercial Officer for AMESA since January 2020.
In other organisational changes, PepsiCo announced the retirement of Kirk Tanner, the CEO of the company's North American beverage business, on February 2. Ram Krishnan has been appointed as the new CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America. Tanner retired with 32 years of service from PepsiCo.
