Omar Farid will be taking over as President of PepsiCo Middle East & Africa, the company announced this week. Farid will be reporting to Sanjeev Chadha, CEO of PepsiCo’s Asia, Middle East and Africa section.
Farid’s previous position was as Senior Vice President and Business Unit General Manager of GCC Beverages at PepsiCo. In order to fill his new role as president Farid has relocated to Dubai, where PepsiCo has its headquarters. Farid moved from Saudi Arabia. As president Farid will take responsibility for leading and driving business in the MEA region.
CEO Sanjeev Chadha commented on Farid’s appointment that:
“Omar brings unparalleled breadth and depth of experience to his new role. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has held leadership positions in food and beverage businesses across the Middle East and Africa, and is one of PepsiCo’s strongest franchise experts across the globe. His track record of strong, sustained and profitable business growth is a testimony to his passionate leadership and deep business knowledge.”
Chadha added, “in addition, Omar is a strong champion of building diversity and an inclusive work environment, driving programs across the Gulf in the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia to develop local talent.”
Farid also commented on his appointment: “The Middle East is one of the strongest performing regions globally for PepsiCo. Our success has been driven by a powerful combination of great brands, great people and great partners, and I look forward to building on PepsiCo’s longtime success in the Middle East.”