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Ramon Laguarta: PepsiCo's Veteran Chairman and CEO
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Ramon Laguarta is the CEO and Chairman of PepsiCo, leading one of the world's largest and most diversified food and beverage companies. Since joining the company in 1996, he has held key leadership roles across multiple markets, shaping its global strategy and expansion for nearly three decades. Join us as we explore his journey – from Spanish lollipops to refreshing Mountain Dew.
Key Insights
Chupa Chups: Laguarta began his career at the Spanish company Chupa Chups, gaining international business experience across markets from Asia to the U.S.
Climb at PepsiCo: He joined PepsiCo in 1996 and spent nearly two decades in leadership roles across global markets before becoming CEO in 2018 and Chairman in 2019.
Transition for the future: As CEO, Laguarta has focused on making PepsiCo's portfolio healthier and the company more sustainable.
Childhood, Education, and Chupa Chups
Ramon Laguarta was born in 1963 in Barcelona and spent his childhood in the Catalan capital. After high school education, he attended Spain's ESADE Business School, earning a master's degree in business administration in 1985. He then continued his studies at the Thunderbird School of Global Management at Arizona State University, where he obtained a master's in international management in 1986.
Laguarta began his professional career at Chupa Chups, the Spanish company famous for its distinctive and colorful lollipops. During these years, he held various roles across different markets, gaining experience in global business practices all the way from Asia to the United States.
Career at PepsiCo
In 1996, Ramon Laguarta began what would become a long and successful career at PepsiCo. His early roles focused on business development and snack marketing for the Spanish market. His success in Spain led to his first international assignment in 1999, moving to Greece as General Manager for the Greek and Cypriot markets.
After two years in Greece, Laguarta returned to Spain in 2001, where he would spend the next five years as General Manager of Snacks and Juices. His natural leadership qualities earned him a promotion in 2006 to Commercial Director of Europe, and eventually the role of President of Developing Markets.
During these years he played a key role in PepsiCo's acquisition of Russian dairy and juice company Wimm-Bill-Dann – which at the time was one of the company's largest acquisitions ever, second only to Quaker Oats in 2001.
By 2014, Laguarta had climbed to the top of the regional organization, becoming CEO of PepsiCo's European and Sub-Saharan African division – widely acknowledged as one of the company's most complex markets.
In 2017, he was promoted to President of PepsiCo, positioning him as the natural successor to former CEO, Indra Nooyi. One year later, when Nooyi stepped down, Laguarta was named CEO of PepsiCo, taking the helm of one of the world's largest food and beverage companies.
CEO of PepsiCo
The company Ramon Laguarta now leads has evolved far beyond the soda heritage that it is named after. This transformation began already in 1965 with its merger with Frito-Lay, marking the start of its expansion into snacks, beverages, and food. Since then, PepsiCo has continued acquiring global brands, growing into a diversified industry leader. Today, it owns some of the world's most recognizable brands, including Lay's, Doritos, Gatorade, Quaker, Mountain Dew, and Tropicana – distributed across more than 200 countries worldwide.
As CEO, Laguarta has focused on transitioning PepsiCo's offerings to be healthier while adapting to changing consumer preferences. To achieve this, he has led efforts to divest less healthy brands while expanding the portfolio with healthier alternatives. One of the most notable acquisitions under his leadership has been its minority stake in the energy drink company Celsius, announced in 2022.
Furthermore, Laguarta has made sustainability a core priority. In this space, his focus has been on reducing PepsiCo's environmental impact, particularly regarding waste reduction. A key step in this effort was the 2018 acquisition of SodaStream, primarily aimed at cutting plastic waste by promoting reusable bottles and at-home carbonation. So far the acquisition seems to have played out according to plan:
“SodaStream continues to be very central to the transformation of the beverage category. We think that there is a huge opportunity to enable consumers to personalize their drinks and have a type of consumption where there's no plastics and where there's a lot of convenience for consumers at home or in offices, or even on the go.”
– Ramon Laguarta, on the company's Q4 2022 earnings call. Sourced through Quartr Pro.
Further reading: The Coca-Cola Company: From Soda to Global Beverage Leader
Leadership Across Industries
In addition to serving as PepsiCo's CEO, Laguarta has also held the role of Chairman of the company since 2019. That same year, he joined Visa's Board of Directors, further expanding his influence in the global business landscape. He also serves as Co-Chairman of the World Economic Forum's Board of Stewards for the Food Systems Initiative, working on global food sustainability efforts.
Laguarta's international career is reflected in his language skills. In addition to his native Spanish, he is fluent in French, German, Greek, and English.
Closing Thoughts
Under Ramon Laguarta's leadership, PepsiCo continues to expand its global presence while prioritizing healthier products and sustainability. From his early time at Chupa Chups to leading one of the world's largest food and beverage companies, his career has been shaped by global experience and diverse leadership roles. With its brands on shelves worldwide, Laguarta strives to keep PepsiCo a leader in every aisle.
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