PepsiCo Europe CEO Guimaraes to Replace Abdalla as Global Ops Chief

PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) has announced two leadership appointments to further strengthen the company's management team.

Enderson Guimaraes, currently CEO, PepsiCo Europe, has been named EVP, Global Categories and Operations, PepsiCo.

He will be responsible for overseeing the company's Global Beverage, Global Snacks and Global Nutrition Groups; its Business & Information Solutions function; Global Procurement; Productivity; Supply Chain; and Corporate Strategy.

Ramon Laguarta, currently President, Developing & Emerging Markets, PepsiCo Europe, has been named CEO, PepsiCo Europe. He will be responsible for overseeing the company's food and beverage business across Europe and food business in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Both Guimaraes and Laguarta will report to PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi.

"PepsiCo enjoys a deep bench of leaders across the company that is enabling us to consistently deliver strong results and create shareholder value," Nooyi said. "Enderson and Ramon are highly skilled operators who have built impressive performance track records throughout their careers. They bring the right qualities and experiences to their new roles and their leadership will continue to benefit PepsiCo as we execute our strategy to deliver long-term sustainable growth."

Guimaraes joined PepsiCo in 2011 as President, Global Operations. In this role, he was responsible for strategic sourcing management, global operations, business and information solutions, and global productivity. He also previously served as President of PepsiCo's Global Nutrition Group before becoming CEO of PepsiCo Europe in 2012.

Prior to joining PepsiCo, Guimaraes served as an EVP at Electrolux and CEO of the company's €4.5 billion major appliances business for Europe, Africa and the Middle East. He also spent ten years at Philips Electronics and has worked for other leading CPG companies, including HP, P&G and Johnson & Johnson.

In his new role, Guimaraes assumes responsibilities previously held by Zein Abdalla, who is retiring at the end of this year as the company disclosed last month.

Laguarta joined PepsiCo in 1996 and has held a number of senior leadership positions that have contributed to the success of the company's European operations.

He previously served as President, PepsiCo Eastern Europe Region, which includes Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States. He also spent time as Commercial Vice President for PepsiCo Europe, General Manager for Iberia Snacks and Juices, and General Manager for Greece Snacks.

Prior to joining PepsiCo, Laguarta worked for Chupa Chups, S.A., a leading Spanish confectionary company, where he held several international assignments in Europe and the U.S.