PepsiCo India Appoints Jagrut Kotecha As New CEO For India Operations

The move came after incumbent CEO Ahmed El Sheikh was given responsibility for the company's Middle East branch after his seven-year-long stint with the India team

Jagrut Kotecha joined Pepsico in 1994. Before joining Pepsico, he worked with Cadbury India sales team for two years.

Source : Jagrut Kotecha/LinkedIn Profile

PepsiCo India announced a leadership-level change as the food and beverage maker’s India team has appointed Jagrut Kotecha its chief executive officer (CEO). Kotecha is currently serving as the chief commercial officer of PepsiCo Africa, Middle-East, and South Africa (AMESA). The move came after incumbent CEO Ahmed El Sheikh was given responsibility for the company's Middle East branch after his seven-year-long stint with the India team.

This leadership change, reflecting PepsiCo's dynamic and forward-thinking global approach, has been meticulously planned and was communicated to the India office employees yesterday (Thursday) as part of a series of leadership changes across AMESA," the company said.

According to Pepsico, the decision was taken as a part of its series of leadership rejigs across AMESA and communicated to the India employees on Thursday.

Eugene Willemsen, CEO, PepsiCo (Africa, Middle East & South Asia), said India remains a pivotal market for the company, playing a crucial role in our global strategy. He said, "We will continue to scale new zeniths of success under his leadership with our Indian consumers." 

"India remains a pivotal market for PepsiCo, playing a crucial role in our global strategy. Over the last six years, Ahmed has been instrumental in transforming our business, driving innovation and steering the team through challenging landscapes. I am equally excited to welcome Jagrut to the India executive team and am certain that we will scale new zeniths of success under his leadership with our Indian consumers," Willemsen said.

Pepsico India Holdings revenue from the sale of products and services on a consolidated basis was up 28.47 per cent to Rs 8,127.07 crore, for the financial year that ended on March 31, 2023.

Kotecha is a Chemical Engineering from University of Mumbai. He also did his Master of Business Administration (Marketing) from SVKM's Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (NMIMS), as per his LinkedIn profile.

He joined Pepsico in 1994. Before joining Pepsico, Kotecha worked with Cadbury India sales team for two years.