October 5/Purchase, N.Y./PRNewswire-FirstCall -- PepsiCo Inc. announced that Jaya Kumar has been appointed president -- Quaker Foods & Snacks.
In this role, Kumar will lead the $2 billion operating unit, with a portfolio of brands that includes Quaker hot cereals and Chewy granola bars, Cap'n Crunch, Life and Quaker Oatmeal Squares ready-to-eat cereals, Aunt Jemima mixes and syrups, Rice-A-Roni and Near East side dishes, and Quaker's lite snacks. Based in Chicago, he will report to PepsiCo Americas Foods CEO John Compton.
"Jaya brings a powerful combination of innovation, marketing and retail capabilities to his new role at Quaker," said Compton. "As our global mega-brand for health and wellness, Quaker is the jewel of our good-for-you portfolio of food brands. Jaya's passion for growth, coupled with his deep expertise in consumer and shopping insights, is an unbeatable recipe for taking Quaker through its next chapter of growth."
Since joining PepsiCo in 2005, Kumar has worked with PepsiCo's Frito-Lay North America unit, most recently serving as the division's chief marketing officer. While at Frito-Lay, he has transformed the marketing agenda and key organizational capabilities -- driving innovation by integrating customer sales, marketing and R&D. Under his leadership, the division launched the ground-breaking Crash the Super Bowl consumer promotion for Doritos, which engaged consumers in creating their own television advertisements that aired on the NFL's Super Bowl. One of those consumer-created entries took the top spot on the USA Today Ad Meter earlier this year, and earned the $1 million prize that came with that honor from Frito-Lay.
Prior to joining PepsiCo's Frito-Lay business, Kumar had 18 years of international and domestic brand management and sales experience with a number of consumer goods companies such as at Kraft Foods. He earned a BS from The University of Sciences in Bangalore, India, and received his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India.
From the October 12, 2009, Prepared Foods E-dition
