Food and beverage giant PepsiCo announced new executive appointments today, including Jim Andrew as Chief Sustainability Officer, and World Trade Organization (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevêdo as Executive Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer.

The Chief Corporate Affairs Officer is a newly created role at the company, that will bring Public Policy, Government Affairs, and Communications activities under one umbrella. Azevêdo be responsible for solidifying PepsiCo’s external engagement efforts with national and international governments, regulators, international organizations and non-governmental stakeholders, and will also help advance PepsiCo’s “Winning with Purpose” strategy by strengthening the company’s ESG value proposition and increasing engagement at local and community levels. Azevêdo was appointed WTO Director-General in September 2013, and re-appointed in 2017 for a second term in the position.

PepsiCo Chairman and CEO, Ramon Laguarta, said:

“We are thrilled to welcome Roberto, who brings valuable political skills and technical knowledge of the complex social, political, and regulatory environments impacting multinational corporations like PepsiCo. Over the course of his career, Roberto has built an extensive, diverse network across the globe and is widely recognized by world players in both developed and developing economies. His geopolitical insights will be invaluable to our discussions and decision-making in an ever-changing world, and we are proud to have him lead our engagement with key global stakeholders.”

Azevêdo said:

“I am delighted to join PepsiCo at time when strengthening relationships between business, government and society has become essential to generating sustainable and inclusive long-term growth. PepsiCo is a global leader in driving meaningful collaborations and investments focused on the betterment of our society and planet. Together with the leadership team, I look forward to helping PepsiCo continue to create positive and impactful change as we integrate and advance our global business strategy.”

Jim Andrew replaces Simon Lowden in the role of Chief Sustainability Officer, while retaining his current position as Executive Vice President, Beyond the Bottle, and will also continue to oversee PepsiCo’s SodaStream business. Prior to joining PepsiCo in 2016, Andrew served as Chief Administrative Officer at Sears Corporation, and has also held the role of Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer at Royal Philips. In his new role, Andrew will be responsible for leading PepsiCo’s Sustainability Office, including the Global Sustainable Plastics team and Global Sustainable Operations team, focusing on accelerating the company’s global Sustainability Agenda while further integrating sustainability into the its business strategy and brands.

Laguarta said:

“Jim’s experience running our Beyond the Bottle initiatives and our SodaStream business – both of which operate at the nexus of our commercial and sustainability agendas – make him the ideal leader for our sustainability efforts going forward. With him at the helm, we will continue to raise our ambitions to become planet positive, taking bold steps to catalyze positive change and build a stronger, more sustainable future for us all.”