PepsiCo A/NZ CMO, Vandita Pandey, has headed back overseas thanks to a promotion heading up the international beverages, hydration business as VP of marketing.

Pandey has been the CMO of ANZ snacks and beverages at the FMCG giant since September 2020, relocating from the US to take up the position. Her new role sees Pandey relocating to Dublin, Ireland. It’s the latest internal role switch for the PepsiCo long-timer, who has spent nearly 15 years with the business, working her way up from brand manager. Pandey began her professional career as a portfolio management analyst at Bank of America.

PepsiCo has not yet selected a direct replacement for Pandey in the VP of marketing role. Mi3 has confirmed the process is underway and a decision could be made within weeks. Reporting into the VP of marketing role are two marketing directors: Tracy Hardwick, PepsiCo’s marketing director for snacks; and Susan Press, marketing director for beverages.

In a LinkedIn post, Pandey said her four years in Australia “exceeded every expectation”.

“Professionally, I have been fortunate to lead one of the most talented, passionate, and capable marketers at PepsiCo through one of our biggest marketing transformations in the business. As a team, we have fully transformed the business and modernized our media and content model through new engagement models and partnerships,” she stated.

“We’ve unlocked a digitally and data led business to drive personalization and engagement. We have elevated our creative capabilities and driven our creative excellence. And most importantly, we have embedded consumer centricity at the heart of the business. When I joined this team and business four years ago, my hope was to leave the team and business in better shape than I found it and I’m confident that is the case. Big thank you PEP leadership in ANZ for the opportunity and believing so much in this vision.

“I have learned how to set a vision and aspiration and lead a team and commercial business through a transformation journey. I have learned to take risks, work with ambiguity, try new things, fail and get back up, and then continue to challenge myself and the team every day. I have learned that to deliver results, you need to develop relationships and build your people.”