PURCHASE, N.Y. — PepsiCo Inc. president Zein Abdalla plans to step down from his post at the end of this year.
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Zein Abdalla |
In an 8-K filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, PepsiCo said Abdalla notified the company that he has decided to retire effective Dec. 31.
According to published reports, he was seen as a potential successor to chief executive officer Indra Nooyi.
Abdalla has served as PepsiCo persident since September 2012 and oversees all of the company’s category groups (Global Beverages, Global Snacks and Global Nutrition), Global Operations (IT, Global Procurement, Supply Chain and Productivity), Global Marketing Services and Corporate Strategy.
He joined PepsiCo in 1995 from Mars Inc. and has served in various senior leadership positions. Before becoming president he was CEO of PepsiCo Europe, responsible for PepsiCo’s food and beverage businesses in Continental Europe as well as the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Before that, he served as general manager of the Europe beverage business unit, general manager of Tropicana Europe, and franchise vice president of Pakistan and the Gulf region. He also led the portfolio of PepsiCo businesses in Europe.
PepsiCo’s roster of beverage and food brands includes Pepsi-Cola, Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade and Frito-Lay.
