January 21/Entertainment & Travel -- The Gatorade Company, a division of PepsiCo, announced Andrea Fairchild as its new vice president of brand marketing. Fairchild joins PepsiCo after 10 years at Nike, where she was responsible for driving global business growth for the company's Women's Training category.

In her new Gatorade role, Fairchild will help guide and implement the brand's overall strategic vision, beginning with the spring 2010 launch of the G Series, a new line of products supported by the latest science and developed in collaboration with the world's greatest athletes to provide fuel, fluid and nutrients before, during and after activity. She will also help Gatorade identify future innovation opportunities that will expand the brand's portfolio of sports performance solutions as well as lead Gatorade's move into sports performance retail channels.

"Andrea's experience and leadership will help her hit the ground running as Gatorade continues to transform from a sports drink to a sports performance innovation company," said Sarah Robb O'Hagan, the company's chief marketing officer. "I'm thrilled to be adding Andrea to our talented roster, and her marketing expertise and knowledge of sports will help the brand as we appeal to a wider range of athletes and active people."

Fairchild most recently served as the global business development director for Women's Training at Nike Inc., where she split time between the company's domestic and European headquarters and drove the strategic direction and worldwide business growth across sales, merchandising, brand marketing and retail presentation. As she advanced at Nike, Fairchild developed a reputation as a creative and innovative marketer with a strong understanding of what makes athletes tick. She led a wide variety of marketing initiatives, including the execution of inspiring retail and out-of-home campaigns, the development of online and off-line training programs for athletes, and coordination of endurance sporting events. Prior to joining Nike, Fairchild spent time leading marketing and retail efforts for specialty retailers.

"Gatorade is a world-class brand that understands athletes and has a track record of helping them get the most out of their bodies with scientifically formulated solutions," Fairchild said. "I look forward to continuing Gatorade's rich history of meeting athlete needs, and I'm equally excited to help Gatorade find new ways to connect with the next generation of athletes."

From the February 1, 2010, Prepared Foods E-dition