PepsiCo Appoints Derek Lewis to Lead New Multicultural Business Unit
PepsiCo has named Derek Lewis, a 34-year veteran with the company, as the president of its new Multicultural Business and Equity Development Organization (MBEDO) which will work to increase racial equality across the company’s North American food and beverage business.
“To take the next step in its Racial Equality Journey, PepsiCo is calling on one of its top executives to lead an organization embedded in the company’s two largest businesses with a focus on providing new educational opportunities, building up small businesses and creating rewarding job opportunities in an effort to support underserved businesses and communities,” said Kirk Tanner, CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA), in a press release. “This is a significant move, which we believe will increase engagement and impact internally with employees and externally with consumers and enable greater progress for the future.”
Based in Florida, Lewis first joined PBNA in 1988 and has held a variety of roles, most recently serving as president of its South Division. According to the company, Lewis has already been playing a significant role in driving PBNA’s diversity and community engagement efforts and has led the creation and expansion of its Pepsi Stronger Together program focused on supporting education, sustainability and community-building initiatives around the country. Lewis also oversaw the “She Got Now” internship program for female students at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCU) and the Historically Better Gala honoring Black cultural trailblazers.
The creation of the new MBEDO unit is the latest step in PepsiCo’s Racial Equality Journey (REJ) initiative, which began in 2020 in response to nationwide protests over the murder of George Floyd. The company has pledged to commit over $570 million over five years to support Black and Hispanic businesses and communities. MBEDO is intended to streamline the effort via a “one-team approach that will enable PepsiCo to drive sustained change and scale faster” across its food and beverage businesses.
In addition to supporting Black and Hispanic-owned food and beverage businesses around the country, the REJ initiative also includes internal goals for PepsiCo such as increasing Black managerial representation to at least 10% including 100 executive level positions, expanding recruitment efforts at HBCUs and implementing unconscious bias training programs. As of Q1 2021, the company had increased Black managerial representation to 8% with 28 new executive additions.
PepsiCo also pledged to more than double its spending with Black-owned suppliers with an incremental spend of $350 million and investing $50 million over five years to strengthen Black-owned small businesses.
“Leveraging this new team across PepsiCo’s beverage and convenient foods businesses will allow us to more quickly scale this important work in communities across North America,” said Steven Williams, CEO of PepsiCo Foods North America, in the release. “We take great pride in the strength of our teams, the power of our brands, and our ability to exceed consumer and retailer expectations. Incorporating and accelerating our equality agenda will now be a new area of strength as we create sustained change in the communities where we live and work.”
Lewis was unavailable for comment today due to the holiday.
CEO Alex Galindez Leaves ROAR
ROAR CEO Alex Galindez, who joined the hydration drink brand in 2020 as part of a turnaround effort, announced last week that she has left the company.
“Rebuilding ROAR was such an amazing journey and I am so proud of what we were able to accomplish in record time,” Galindez wrote on LinkedIn. “To reformulate, re-package, reposition, and relaunch all the while maintaining and driving velocity in key strategic accounts is no small feat and I am grateful to the distributors, retailers, brokers, agency partners, and 20-year+ industry friends that rooted for ROAR and for me personally along the way.”
Galindez, who’s career also include stints at Red Bull, Runa and Vitaminwater, joined ROAR in 2020 as part of a restructuring effort led by the company’s controlling shareholder, The Factory. Under her tenure, Galindez oversaw a rebrand and retail expansion, including a nationwide launch at 7-Eleven.
According to LinkedIn, Galindez has now returned to freelance brand consulting, which she had been doing prior to joining ROAR. In her post on the website, she said she is “nothing short of ecstatic” about the return to consulting and will focus on go-to-market development and disciplined execution.
BlueTriton Brands Announces New CFO
BlueTriton Brands has named Javier Idrovo as its new chief financial officer, the company announced last month. The move comes as the company, which owns the former Nestlé Waters North America (NWNA) bottled water brands portfolio, aims to accelerate its growth strategy and introduce new innovations.
“Since becoming an independent business last year, BlueTriton has made significant strides toward expanding our market leadership, driving innovation and advancing our environmental commitments,” said CEO Jorge Mesquita in a press release. “As we look to build on our progress and accelerate our high-growth strategy, Javier brings extensive food and beverage experience, an impressive track record of execution and achieving results, as well as a performance-oriented mindset that is an ideal fit with our culture. We are delighted to have him lead our finance team at this exiting stage of our journey.”
Idrovo comes to BlueTriton from The Hain Celestial Group, where he had served as CFO since 2019 helping oversee global expansion efforts. Prior to Hain, he served as chief accounting officer for The Hershey Company and previously served as president of Dole Packaged Foods, LLC from 2006 to 2008.
BlueTriton is a partnership between One Rock Capital Partners and family-owned investment firm Metropoulos & Co. The company acquired NWNA in a $4.3 billion deal in March 2021, which included six regional spring water brands — Poland Spring, Ozarka, Ice Mountain, Zephyrhills, Arrowhead and Deer Park — and 27 production facilities in North America, plus the Pure Life trademark and the ReadyRefresh delivery platform. Mesquita, a former Johnson & Johnson executive, was named CEO in July. In November, BlueTriton added premium water producer Saratoga Spring Water Company to its portfolio.
“I am delighted for the opportunity to join the BlueTriton team at this exciting time in the company’s trajectory,” Idrovo said in the release. “The high potential for growth and value creation at BlueTriton is tremendous, given the smart and passionate people, strong brand portfolio, and North American footprint. Having played a leadership role in similar industries, I am confident in our ability to execute on our plans, drive consistent growth through innovation and strategic investments, and continue to lead the way in sustainability and environmental stewardship.”
More Moves from Around the Industry:
- Call it a Vive Shift. Blair Cornish has joined plant-based dairy brand Kite Hill as its SVP of Sales, according to LinkedIn, ending a three-year tenure in the same role with juice shots maker Vive Organic.
- Melissa Hauser, former VP of sales and marketing for kombucha maker Rowdy Mermaid, has joined plant-based beverage brand Minor Figures as VP of Sales, North America.
- Heifer International president and CEO Pierre Ferrari announced he will leave the company in September. A global search for a new CEO is set to begin in the near future.