PepsiCo's Homi Battiwalla elevated to fill in Arora's shoes

PepsiCo India has announced the move of Homi Battiwalla as executive vice president - Colas, Hydration & Mango Based Beverages. Battiwalla takes over from Sandeep Singh Arora, who quit PepsiCo recently. Battiwalla has been with PepsiCo for over 15 years now. He will be taking charge of the marketing role for the Cola category (Pepsi, Diet Pepsi) along with his current responsibilities.

Speaking on the appointment, Deepika Warrier, executive director - marketing, PepsiCo Beverages, India said, “Homi’s rich experience and in-depth understanding of the beverage industry, positions him well to lead the marketing responsibilities for brand Pepsi as we look forward to continue the brand’s winning performance. Homi has been singularly responsible for some iconic brand building & marketing on brand Slice and consistently positioning Tropicana in the breakfast nutrition space. He has proven his leadership skills in successfully growing the juice & juice based drinks category for PepsiCo.”

“On behalf of the whole PepsiCo family, we would like to thank Sandeep for his invaluable contribution to our India business and wish him all the best for the future”, she added.

Battiwalla had joined PepsiCo in 1997 as a management trainee. After the initial stint in the sales and distribution team, he became a part of the marketing team. Over the years, he has worked across various beverage brands including Mountain Dew, 7UP, Tropicana, Aquafina and Mango Slice. He holds a BE degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra and an MBA in Marketing from Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi.