Rachel Ferdinando recently revealed on LinkedIn that she was moving from her position as President of PepsiCo Foods Canada to that of CEO of PepsiCo U.S. Foods.

“I am honored to announce that I am transitioning from my role as President of PepsiCo Foods Canada to the CEO of PepsiCo U.S. Foods. This is a humbling and incredible opportunity to grow our business and work with the talented PepsiCo U.S. Foods team. Together, we will continue to progress our company, community, and industry. Thank you to everyone who has supported me on this journey! To my team in Canada, leading you has been one of the greatest honors of my career. I am deeply grateful for your dedication and hard work and have full confidence in the future of Canada and the outstanding leadership team. I look forward to the exciting challenges and successes ahead!”

In her role as CEO of U.S. Foods, Rachel Ferdinando oversees a key segment of PepsiCo’s North American business, which produced over USD21bn in net revenue in 2023 across its convenience foods and snack divisions. She manages a varied and recognizable portfolio of brands, including Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Ruffles, Fritos, Stacy’s Pita Chips, SunChips, Sabra, and Quaker Foods, with over 60,000 employees and 500 sites throughout the U.S.

A recent PepsiCo document reveals that since Joining PepsiCo in 2017, Rachel has held several senior leadership roles. Previously, she served as President of PepsiCo Foods Canada, leading Frito-Lay Canada – the country’s largest snack manufacturer – and the legacy Quaker Canada business.

Ferdinando successfully spearheaded transformation efforts with impactful results by enhancing brand relevance, fostering innovation to meet evolving consumer needs, and establishing a robust seed-to-shelf supply chain. These initiatives contributed to strengthening PepsiCo’s market position, improving operational efficiency, and advancing sustainability goals including reducing environmental impact.

“Prior to her role in Canada, Rachel served as Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Frito-Lay North America, where she oversaw all marketing initiatives including marketing strategy, innovation, insights, and media for a portfolio of iconic snack brands,” according to the document.

She was voted the Most Innovative CMO by Business Insider, one of the World’s Most Influential CMOs by Forbes, and the Outstanding Marketer in the U.S. by PR Week for her innovative work. Additionally, she has received international recognition for her creative talents as a juror in the Cannes Lion International Festival’s 2022 Creative Strategy category.

Rachel Ferdinando brings over two decades of experience in the Consumer-Packaged Goods (CPG) industry with strong end-to-end general management, marketing, and portfolio transformation leadership. Before joining PepsiCo, Rachel served as Vice President and Global Sector Leader at Kimberly-Clark Corporation, leading the USD6bn+ global Family Care Sector with brands like Scott and Kleenex. Earlier in her career, she spent over a decade at GlaxoSmithKline in leadership positions of increasing responsibility across sales, global marketing, and general management in Europe, North America, and Asia.

Rachel Ferdinando holds a First Class Bachelor of Science with Honors in Chemistry from Imperial College London and studied at the l’Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Chimie et de Physique de Bordeaux (ENSCPB). Her board service includes positions with the Food, Health & Consumer Products Association of Canada and as Chair of the Consumer Healthcare Committee for the Pharma Association of Malaysia.