MUMBAI:  Nitin Bhandari has taken on the role of vice-president & general manager, India & south Asia beverages at PepsiCo. Based in Gurugram, Haryana, Bhandari will oversee the company’s beverages business in the region, focusing on unlocking growth opportunities and delivering value to consumers, communities, and stakeholders.

He replaces George Kovoor senior vice-president & GM India beverage who has chosen to retire come 31 March 2025. 

In his 19-year tenure at PepsiCo, Bhandari has held diverse leadership roles across India, Southeast Asia, and the Pacific. Most recently, he served as VP & chief growth officer for PepsiCo India, spearheading transformative strategies for its foods and beverages business in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. Prior to this, he was general manager for the Philippines, Malaysia, and Singapore, managing both beverages and foods.

Bhandari’s career highlights include launching e-commerce initiatives in Asia, turning around PepsiCo’s Thailand foods business, and leading the marketing strategy for iconic brands like Mountain Dew in India. His achievements have earned him accolades such as the PepsiCo Chairman’s Award in 2015.

All that experience will be put to the test  in the coming summer as Reliance Industries which has resuscitated the Campa-Cola brand and has proved a price warrior renews its assault on the Indian soft drink market, possibly with a few new variants as well as deepening its distribution. At the same time, the Jubilant Bhartia group is pumping in Rs 12,500 crore in Coca-Cola Co’s main Indian bottler Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages and acquiring a 40 per cent stake.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Indore, Bhandari expressed gratitude to PepsiCo leaders Eugene Willemsen and Jagrut Kotecha for this opportunity and acknowledged George Kovoor’s contributions in building a strong foundation for the business over the past three years.