Ramon Laguarta currently serves as the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Inc., one of the largest food and drink companies in the world. He was born in 1963 in Barcelona, Spain, and started working at Chupa Chups, Subsequently, in 1996, he landed a position with PepsiCo.

For the last almost 30 years, he has held numerous leadership positions across different geographies, developing and implementing global strategies for business growth and expansion with the company.

Since 2018, he has been focusing on portfolio diversification to improve health metrics and sustainability, driving strategic innovations and acquisitions to fuel growth. His guidance has been crucial in addressing shifting consumer preferences and market conditions at PepsiCo.

Early Life and Education

Laguarta has a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in business administration from ESADE Business School, Barcelona. He also received a master’s degree in international management in 1986 from Thunderbird School of Global Management. Laguarta’s education equipped him effectively in business and international management.

The education at ESADE and Thunderbird developed his leadership skills for executive positions in multinational corporations. Laguarta’s impressive achievements in academics set him up to be a frontrunner for leadership positions in PepsiCo later.

Early Career and Chupa Chups Experience

The Spanish Candy company known for its lollipops, Chupa Chups, was the first stop on Ramon Laguarta’s professional career journey. He was a part of the company as an International Sales and Marketing Chupa Chups employee. His work as a Sales and Marketing employee made him adept at brand building.

Laguartas role at Chupa Chups helped him understand cultural different marketing practices as well as consumer culture. This insight into brand building and international business practices helped him in his later roles at PepsiCo. Chupa’s international marketing strategies were his trademark as a corporate leader.

Joining PepsiCo and Rise Through Ranks

Laguarta started with the company in 1996 as a middle level manager. Subsequently, he managed a staff of over 7,000 people from Europe, Eastern Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. While in Europe, he structured locally aligned operations within the wider framework of regional spreads. His achievements earned him the presidency of PepsiCo, who at the time, was still employing a business-unit based structure.

From the moment he started at the company, from the middle of the 1990s, until the time he took the position of president, he had a clear and single focus- driving growth and adapting to emerging market opportunities. Each step, it seems, earned him more trust and vision was planned to execute.

Appointment as CEO and Chairman

PepsiCo’s CEO transition in October of 2018 signified another milestone in the company’s chronology and tangible steps forward in their digital transformation journey. Ramon Laguarta took over from Indra Nooyi, became the first Spaniard to preside over a U.S.-multinational corporation of this magnitude. Subsequently Laguarta Became chairman of the board in 2019.

His embrace of the dual challenges of innovation alongside challenges to value based companies in the new age world during his reign. Digital transformation and sustainability were not mere ideas for actors but shifts representing a vast restructuring of global business operations. His landmark achievements alongside visions were showcased in the Pepsico Press Room.

Strategic Direction and pep+ Vision

Laguarta introduced “PepsiCo Positive” (pep+), a strategic transformation plan aimed at embedding sustainability into the core of the business. Pep+ seeks to achieve a positive social impact through responsible sourcing, water conservation, better ingredient choices, and protecting the environment.

While working toward goals such as net-zero emissions by 2040 and achieving regenerative agriculture in PepsiCo’s supply chain, these initiatives are deeply connected to processes and consumer strategies. The ESG Summary of PepsiCo outlines how, under Laguarta’s leadership, pep+ creates operational value while sustaining long-term value for people and the planet.

Leadership Style and Work Culture

Ramon Laguarta practices a leadership approach characterized by humility, ethics, and inclusion. He actively delegates to teams, drives transparency, and promotes high performance. At PepsiCo, he continues to institute a culture where collaboration and innovation are essential for problem-solving. He has improved the agility and data-literacy of the cross-functional teams harnessed to the brand’s consumers.

Laguarta is known for fostering greater diversity in the leadership and ensures that key decisions are always supported by global inputs. His leadership marks an improvement toward managing with purpose and values by aligning workforce engagement with the strategic aims of the business.

Responding to Market Challenges

To counter competition in the soft drink market and adapt to new consumer trends, Ramon Laguarta made significant moves. PepsiCo launched Starry, a lemon-lime soda aimed at replacing the lackluster Sierra Mist and was intended to drum up interest in the category.

The company also bought out Poppi, a brand concentrated on prebiotic sodas and health sodas, gaining ground on wellness trends. While advocating for innovations, Laguarta also stressed the need to bolster PepsiCo’s core legacy brands. These actions have helped the business now remain relevant in the marketplace. His market strategy incorporates agility with traditions.

Board Roles and Industry Influence

Outside his role at PepsiCo, Ramon Laguarta has an important position as affecting the business policy and sustainability practices on a global scale. He is a member of the board of directors at Visa Inc. and takes part in deliberations on worldwide commerce and financial inclusion.

Furthermore, he is one of the co-chairs at the World Economic Forum’s Food Systems Initiative, where he works to transform value chains to be more inclusive and sustainable.

In these capacities, he supports responsible business conduct, stakeholder capitalism, and collective leadership. His engagement in global forums complements his work at PepsiCo and expands his influence into conversations on climate action and inclusive growth.

Conclusion

Ramon Laguarta has reestablished PepsiCo’s global reputation by integrating purpose across different areas of the organization, from the people to the operations and merchandise. His leadership during the disruption period showed how the company stays agile in long-term value creation.

Today, it is undeniable that under his leadership, PepsiCo is no longer just a consumer goods company, but a champion for health, sustainable living and inclusive innovation. His tenure marks the era when brands expand not only on market share, but in the positive footprint they make.