PepsiCo has elevated Nitin Bhandari to Vice President and General Manager for India and South Asia Beverages. In this role, he will oversee business growth and strengthen stakeholder relationships in the region. Bhandari, based in Gurugram, will succeed George Kovoor, who is set to retire on March 31, 2025, as Senior Vice President and General Manager for India Beverages.

Bhandari, a close to a two-decade veteran of PepsiCo, has shouldered leadership roles for the corporation across India, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. Most recently, as Vice President and Chief Growth Officer for PepsiCo India, he led transformational programs across India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Before that, he looked after the company's operations across the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Under his leadership, Bhandari accomplished many successes in his tenure through e-commerce launches across Asia, revitalizing PepsiCo's food business in Thailand, and developing marketing strategies for mountain dew in India.

PepsiCo's appointment of Bhandari comes at a time when the company is witnessing heightened competition in the Indian market. Reliance Industries has resurrected the Campa-Cola brand, while the Jubilant Bhartia Group has invested Rs 12,500 crore for a 40% stake in Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, the key Indian bottling partner of Coca-Cola.

Expressing his gratitude, Bhandari said, “Excited to lead our beverages business in India & South Asia. Grateful to Eugene Willemsen & Jagrut Kotecha for this opportunity, and deeply appreciative of George Kovoor’s leadership over the last 3 years. Looking forward to partnering with our incredible team and bottling partners to unlock potential and create meaningful value for our consumers, communities & stakeholders”.