PepsiCo names Kotecha as new India chief

PepsiCo names Kotecha as new India chief

Beverage and snacks maker PepsiCo India on Friday announced Jagrut Kotecha, senior vice president and chief commercial officer at its AMESA (Asia, Middle East and Africa) region, as its new India chief.

Ahmed El Sheikh, currently CEO for PepsiCo India, will move on from his current role as the CEO for the Middle East Business Unit as of March 2024, the company said in a statement on Friday.

ET had reported in its January 12 edition that Kotecha was front runner for the role of India CEO.

Kotecha was preferred over other contenders because of his extensive experience in snacks, executives aware of the developments said.

The leadership changes were announced by Eugene Willemsen, Chief Executive Officer – Africa,t & South Asia, PepsiCo, currently on an India visit.

PepsiCo’s snacks business has been facing intense competition, and has been losing share, while volumes too have declined in India, which the company wants to get back. Hence the preference for a chief with extensive experience in foods, with PepsiCo’s focus mainly on bolstering the snacking business, executives in knowledge of the developments said.

The New York-based company said in its earnings call in the quarter to September 2023 that PepsiCo’s snacks business, which makes Lays and Doritos tortilla chips, declined to mid-single digits in the quarter.

Kotecha held the post of vice-president, snacks category, India region, between 2016 and 2019, according to information on his LinkedIn page. Prior to PepsiCo, he was with chocolate maker Cadbury India as sales head from 1992-1994, according to the information.

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