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PepsiCo Beverages North America CEO to Retire, Join Wendy’s Restaurants as its CEO

Jan. 19, 2024

Kirk Tanner will lead the restaurant chain, while Ram Krishnan will take over as CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America.

Andy Hanacek

PepsiCo Inc. has announced the retirement of PepsiCo Beverages North America CEO Kirk Tanner, effective February 2. Tanner will join The Wendy’s Co. to become the restaurant chain brand’s CEO February 5. Meanwhile, Ram Krishnan will take over as CEO for PepsiCo Beverages North America.

Tanner worked for PepsiCo for 32 years, joining the company in 1992 and filling leadership roles in sales, operations, customer marketing, distribution and channel development in the U.S. and international markets. In 2019, he earned the CEO title from which he is retiring. He had been president of PepsiCo Global Foodservice, senior vice president and general manager of Frito-Lay’s West Business Division and vice president of Sales at PepsiCo U.K. and Ireland, among other roles.

Krishnan currently serves as CEO of International Beverages and chief commercial officer for PepsiCo. Krishnan joined PepsiCo in 2006 and has held numerous senior leadership roles, including CEO of PepsiCo’s Asia Pacific, Australia/New Zealand and China (APAC) Region, among others.

About the Author

Andy Hanacek | Senior Editor

Andy Hanacek has covered meat, poultry, bakery and snack foods as a B2B editor for nearly 20 years, and has toured hundreds of processing plants and food companies, sharing stories of innovation and technological advancement throughout the food supply chain. In 2018, he won a Folio:Eddie Award for his unique "From the Editor's Desk" video blogs, and he has brought home additional awards from Folio and ASBPE over the years. In addition, Hanacek led the Meat Industry Hall of Fame for several years and was vice president of communications for We R Food Safety, a food safety software and consulting company.