Pepsi’s PH unit has new president

Beverage-maker Pepsi-Cola Products Philippines Inc. has appointed Furqan Ahmed Syed president and director effective April 1.

Furqan, a Pakistani and a specialist  in fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), has taken over the post vacated by Partho Chakrabarti, who was appointed vice president and chief operating officer of PepsiCo India’s foods unit.

Furqan has 18 years of “well diversified” experience in the FMCG business, Pepsi Philippines said in a statement. Prior to the appointment, he spent over 11 years in the beverage industry undertaking various functions, including leadership roles in one of PepsiCo’s strong markets, Pakistan, where he successfully led the company’s transition to a total liquid refreshment beverage unit.

Promoted to general manager of PepsiCo’s snacks unit in Pakistan in 2010, Furqan “led his team through a successful business turnaround that delivered outstanding business and people results.”

Under his leadership, the unit bagged multiple “Brand of the Year” awards, as well as “Best FMCG Employer of Choice” award and “Leader of Green Supply Chain” award, among others.

“We are very pleased to welcome Furqan to the PCPPI team. His experience and deep knowledge of the business will help the company sustain its strong growth momentum”, said Yeon-Suk No, PCPPI’s chief executive officer.

Furqan has a master’s degree in Business Administration from Lahore University of Management Sciences in Pakistan.

PPCPI is the exclusive bottler of PepsiCo beverages in the Philippines, with operations spanning 66 years. Lotte Chilsung, one of the biggest beverage companies in South Korea, is the lead shareholder of PCPPI as an independently listed company and co-manages it with PepsiCo. The group manufactures and sells well-known brands such as Pepsi-Cola, Mountain Dew, 7-Up, Mirinda, Mug, Gatorade, Tropicana, Lipton, Sting and Premier.