D. Shivakumar has quit as the chairman of Pepsico India after serving for four years.
Mr. Shivakumar told The Hindu he would be joining the Aditya Birla Group where he would be the group corporate president for strategy and business development.
Prior to joining Pepsico India, he was the managing director at Nokia India. He also had useful stints at Hindustan Unilever and Philips Consumer Electronics.
His exit from PepsiCo comes at a time when the cola industry is going through testing times on very many fronts. At PepsiCo, he was largely responsible for solidifying the “Power of One” strategy. A top Pepsico official, who had worked closely with Mr. Shivakumar, said, “it is indeed sad for us.’’ Mr. Shivakumar would be reporting to Mr. Kumar Mangalam Birla, chairman of the Aditya Birla Group. “He will be joining a $45 billion dollar group and it is good for him,’’ the official said while declining to be quoted.
At PepsiCo, Mr. Shivakumar played a key role in portfolio transformation and helped the company develop nutrition business. “He was responsible for launching winning innovations with our Quaker and Tropicana brands,’’ said a company release.
Ahmed El Sheikh, senior vice-president and general manager for PepsiCo Egypt and Jordan, will be the new CEO of PepsiCo India. He would assume his India role on November 1, according to the release. Mr. Shivakumar will leave PepsiCo on December 31.
