PepsiCo Names Nitin Bhandari As VP & GM For India & South Asia Beverages Division; George Kovoor To Retire

PepsiCo has named Nitin Bhandari as the Vice President and General Manager for its India and South Asia Beverages division. Based in Gurugram, Bhandari will oversee the company’s beverage operations in the region, with a focus on driving growth, delivering value to consumers and strengthening ties with communities and stakeholders.

Bhandari succeeds George Kovoor, who is set to retire on 31 March 2025, after serving as Senior Vice President and General Manager for India Beverages.

With nearly two decades of experience at PepsiCo, Bhandari has held several leadership roles across India, Southeast Asia and the Pacific. Most recently, he served as Vice President and Chief Growth Officer for PepsiCo India, spearheading transformative projects across the food and beverage segments in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Previously, he managed operations in the Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, covering both beverages and foods.

Bhandari’s key accomplishments include launching ecommerce initiatives across Asia, revitalising PepsiCo’s food business in Thailand and crafting the marketing strategy for brands like Mountain Dew in India.

PepsiCo’s appointment of Bhandari comes as the company faces heightened competition in the Indian beverage market. Reliance Industries has reintroduced the Campa-Cola brand and is gearing up to expand its presence in the soft drink segment. Additionally, the Jubilant Bhartia Group recently invested Rs 12,500 crore to acquire a 40 per cent stake in Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages, a key bottling partner for Coca-Cola in India.

Bhandari said, “Excited to lead our beverages business in India & South Asia. Grateful to Eugene Willemsen & Jagrut Kotecha for this opportunity, and deeply appreciative of George Kovoor's leadership over the last 3 years to set such a strong foundation for this business. Looking forward to partnering with our incredible team and bottling partners to unlock potential and create meaningful value for our consumer, communities & stakeholders in this vibrant region.”