Ram Krishnan

Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo North America PepsiCo

Last Reviewed: October 3, 2026

Executive Summary

Ram Krishnan has been chief executive of PepsiCo North America since December 2025, leading its foods and beverages businesses in the United States and Canada and the work of integrating their operations. Joining PepsiCo in 2006 after six years in marketing at General Motors’ Cadillac, he rose through Frito-Lay North America’s marketing ranks to chief marketing officer, then led PepsiCo’s global Walmart team, its Asia-Pacific region, its global commercial organization and its international and North American beverage businesses. He has worked on both sides of PepsiCo, snacks and beverages, and his appointment put a single leader over both in North America.

Career Highlights

• Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo North America since December 2025.
• Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo Beverages North America and then U.S. Beverages, 2024 to 2025.
• Chief Executive Officer, International Beverages and Chief Commercial Officer, 2022 to 2024.
• Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Frito-Lay North America, 2014 to 2016.
• Director of Tractor Supply Company.

Professional Journey

Krishnan earned an MBA at the University of Michigan and holds engineering degrees, according to his PepsiCo biography. He spent six years at General Motors as a marketing manager for Cadillac before joining PepsiCo in 2006.

At PepsiCo he began in marketing at Frito-Lay North America, as vice president of global brands from 2011, senior vice president of marketing from 2012 and senior vice president and chief marketing officer from 2014 to 2016. He then led PepsiCo’s global Walmart customer team as senior vice president and chief customer officer from 2016 to 2017 and ran the Asia Pacific, Australia and New Zealand and China region as president and CEO from 2018.

He became executive vice president and chief commercial officer in 2019, overseeing customer strategy, revenue management, go-to-market, e-commerce and the PepsiCo Venturing Group, and from 2022 added the role of CEO of International Beverages. In February 2024 he became CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America, and in January 2025 CEO of U.S. Beverages, overseeing brands from Pepsi and Gatorade to poppi and the distribution partnership with Celsius.

In December 2025 he became CEO of PepsiCo North America, combining the foods and beverages businesses in the United States and Canada. PepsiCo sells food and beverages in more than 200 countries and territories through six reportable segments and employed about 306,000 people at the end of 2025, according to its annual report. He serves on the board of Tractor Supply Company, and PepsiCo says he has won product innovation and advertising industry awards.

Education

University of Michigan

MBA