Aamer Sheikh, PepsiCo MENA CEO, joins The 966 to share his success story and the F&B's KSA strategy

The 966 speaks with PepsiCo Middle East CEO Aamer Sheikh for a conversation about the company's strategy to plug into Vision 2030's opportunities and continue to stay on top as the number one food and beverage brand in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Mr. Sheikh, who is Pakistani-American and grew up in the United States, shares his story and how he rose to the top position for the company in the Middle East region. The PepsiCo MENA CEO also discusses how he works to position PepsiCo's products to be part of the fabric of Saudi society, the company's emphasis and insistence on sustainability as critical to success, and so much more. PepsiCo's products/brands include the popular household names like Pepsi-Cola, Mirinda, 7-UP, Mountain Dew, and Aquafina, Lay’s, Cheetos, Doritos and Quaker Oats. Aamer Sheikh told The 966 that one point of emphasis for his team is the development of local talent, sharing skills with the next generation, and empowering Saudi women. This is part of the company's “Proudly Saudi” campaign in 2021, he said. PepsiCo Middle East employs close to 9,000 people across 86 site operations; Saudization rates reach over 40% in some business units; and 1 in 5 are female.