Ramon Laguarta

Ramon Laguarta
Ramon Laguarta
Born	Template:Birth year and age
Birthplace	Barcelona, Spain
Nationality	Spanish
Occupation	Business executive
Title	Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
Known for	Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo
Education	ESADE (BBA, MBA) Thunderbird School of Global Management (MS)

Ramon Laguarta (born 1963) is a Spanish business executive who serves as the chairman and chief executive officer of PepsiCo, one of the world's largest food and beverage companies. He assumed the role of CEO on 3 October 2018, succeeding Indra Nooyi, who had led the company for twelve years. Laguarta is the sixth CEO in PepsiCo's history and has been recognized as the first Spanish-born executive to lead a major American multinational corporation. Born in Barcelona, Laguarta spent over two decades at PepsiCo in various leadership roles spanning multiple continents before rising to the company's top position. Under his leadership, PepsiCo has pursued strategies focused on growth acceleration, sustainability initiatives, and the integration of technology across its global operations. In February 2026, IBM elected Laguarta to its board of directors, further expanding his role in American corporate governance.

Early Life

Ramon Laguarta was born in 1963 in Barcelona, Spain. He grew up in the Catalonia region of Spain during a period of significant political and economic transition in the country, as Spain moved from the Franco era toward democracy and European integration. Details regarding his family background and upbringing remain largely private, though his later career trajectory reflected a strong international orientation from an early age.

Laguarta's formative years in Barcelona—a city with deep commercial traditions and strong ties to European and Mediterranean markets—appear to have shaped his global business perspective. His subsequent pursuit of international education and a career that spanned operations across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas demonstrated an early inclination toward cross-cultural business leadership.

Education

Laguarta pursued his undergraduate and graduate business education at ESADE (Escuela Superior de Administración y Dirección de Empresas), a business school in Barcelona that is consistently ranked among the top business schools in Europe. At ESADE, he earned both a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) and a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

He later earned a Master of Science degree from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, which is now part of Arizona State University in the United States. Thunderbird has long been recognized for its focus on international management and global business, and Laguarta's education there complemented his ESADE training with a specific emphasis on managing across borders and cultures. Upon his appointment as PepsiCo CEO, Thunderbird highlighted Laguarta as one of its most prominent alumni, noting that his career exemplified the school's mission of preparing leaders for global enterprise.

Career

Early Career and Rise at PepsiCo

Before joining PepsiCo, Laguarta worked at Chupa Chups, the Spanish confectionery company known for its lollipops, where he gained early experience in consumer goods marketing and international business. He joined PepsiCo in 1996 and over the following twenty-two years held a series of increasingly senior positions across the company's global operations.

Laguarta's early tenure at PepsiCo involved leadership roles in the company's European operations. He served as general manager of PepsiCo's businesses in Spain, as well as in the Eastern Europe and the Iberian Peninsula regions. His career at PepsiCo was characterized by a pattern of geographic mobility, with assignments that took him across multiple continents and exposed him to diverse markets and consumer preferences.

Laguarta subsequently took on responsibility for PepsiCo's operations in the Middle East and Africa, broadening his experience in managing businesses across varied regulatory environments and cultural contexts. He also held commercial leadership positions that included oversight of the company's sales and marketing functions in European markets.

President and CEO of PepsiCo

In 2017, Laguarta was named president of PepsiCo, a position that placed him in direct oversight of the company's global operations and positioned him as a leading candidate to succeed Indra Nooyi as CEO. On 6 August 2018, PepsiCo announced that Nooyi would step down as CEO and that Laguarta would assume the role effective 3 October 2018. Nooyi continued as chairman of the board through early 2019 to facilitate the transition, after which Laguarta assumed that role as well.

The appointment attracted significant media attention both in the United States and in Spain. Laguarta became the sixth CEO in PepsiCo's history, following Nooyi, Steven Reinemund, Roger Enrico, Wayne Calloway, and Donald Kendall. Spanish media in particular highlighted his elevation as a landmark achievement for a Spanish executive in American business.

At the time of his appointment, analysts and industry observers noted that Laguarta brought a strong international perspective to the CEO role, having managed PepsiCo's businesses on multiple continents. His background in marketing and commercial operations was also noted as a distinguishing characteristic, with The Drum describing him as "a marketer turned CEO."

Strategic Direction: "Faster, Stronger, Better"

Upon taking the helm, Laguarta articulated a strategic vision for PepsiCo centered on making the company "Faster, Stronger, and Better." This framework encompassed several key priorities:

"Faster" referred to efforts to accelerate PepsiCo's growth by investing in brands, improving speed to market, and strengthening the company's presence in key product categories and geographies. Laguarta emphasized the importance of winning in the marketplace through a sharper focus on consumer trends and more agile decision-making.

"Stronger" addressed the company's operational capabilities, including investments in supply chain efficiency, technology and data analytics, and talent development. Under Laguarta, PepsiCo pursued digital transformation initiatives aimed at improving how the company interacts with retailers and consumers.

"Better" encompassed PepsiCo's environmental, social, and governance (ESG) commitments, including efforts related to climate change, packaging sustainability, and water stewardship. PepsiCo under Laguarta set targets for reducing its carbon emissions and increasing the use of recycled materials in its packaging.

Sustainability and ESG Initiatives

Under Laguarta's leadership, PepsiCo expanded its sustainability commitments across several dimensions. The company set goals related to reducing greenhouse gas emissions across its value chain, consistent with broader industry and governmental targets to address climate change. PepsiCo also announced initiatives focused on packaging sustainability, including goals to reduce virgin plastic use and increase recycling and reuse of materials.

In January 2026, speaking at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Laguarta addressed the ongoing debate about corporate sustainability commitments. He argued that discussions about sustainability should be reframed, stating that the issue should not be presented as sustainability versus profitability, but rather as a question of short-term versus long-term risk management. This stance placed Laguarta among corporate leaders who have continued to advocate for sustainability as a business imperative even as some companies have scaled back ESG commitments amid political and market pressures.

In February 2026, Laguarta presented PepsiCo's strategy at the Consumer Analyst Group of New York (CAGNY) Conference, where he discussed the company's approach to integrating sustainability with growth objectives.

Product and Brand Initiatives

As part of PepsiCo's evolving product strategy under Laguarta, the company announced in early 2026 a significant move to remove artificial colors from all of its brands. Laguarta discussed this initiative publicly, framing it as a response to shifting consumer preferences toward products with natural ingredients. The move also included the introduction of an "enhanced Gatorade" product line, which Laguarta described as offering improved hydration capabilities.

These product changes reflected a broader trend in the food and beverage industry toward cleaner labels and more transparent ingredient lists, a trend that accelerated during Laguarta's tenure at the helm of PepsiCo.

Board Memberships and External Roles

Beyond his role at PepsiCo, Laguarta has served on the boards of other major corporations. He has served as a member of the board of directors of Visa Inc.

On 5 February 2026, IBM announced that its board of directors had elected Laguarta to join the board effective 1 March 2026. IBM cited his experience in leading technology-driven business transformation as a factor in his election. At the time of the announcement, Laguarta was identified as being 62 years old. The appointment expanded Laguarta's presence in American corporate governance, adding a major technology company to his board portfolio alongside his leadership of one of the world's largest consumer goods firms.

Laguarta has also been involved in international food policy discussions. He participated in the Netherlands Food System Initiative, which focused on transforming global food systems toward greater sustainability.

Personal Life

Ramon Laguarta maintains a relatively private personal life. He was born and raised in Barcelona, Spain, and his career at PepsiCo required him to relocate multiple times across different countries and continents. He is based in the New York metropolitan area, where PepsiCo's headquarters are located in Purchase, New York.

His multinational background and multilingual capabilities have been noted in business press coverage. Having grown up in Catalonia, studied in both Spain and the United States, and worked across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Americas, Laguarta has been described as an executive with a distinctly international profile within the American corporate landscape.

Recognition

Laguarta's appointment as CEO of PepsiCo was covered extensively by international media and was noted as a significant milestone for a European executive in American business. He was identified as the first Spanish-born CEO of a major American multinational company, a fact that received particular attention in Spanish-language media.

In 2024, Laguarta was included in the Equilar-New York Times list of the 100 highest-paid CEOs, reflecting both his compensation package at PepsiCo and his position among the most prominent corporate leaders in the United States.

His selection to the board of directors of IBM in 2026 was characterized in business media as a recognition of his leadership capabilities and his experience in managing large-scale digital and operational transformations. The Thunderbird School of Global Management has also highlighted Laguarta as one of its most distinguished alumni, citing his career as evidence of the value of international management education.

Legacy

As of 2026, Ramon Laguarta continues to serve as chairman and CEO of PepsiCo, and his legacy is still being shaped by ongoing strategic decisions and their long-term outcomes. His tenure has been defined by several notable themes.

First, Laguarta represents a new model of global corporate leadership in America. As a Spanish-born executive leading one of the country's most recognized companies, his rise to the top of PepsiCo reflects the increasing internationalization of corporate leadership in the United States. His appointment was part of a broader pattern at PepsiCo, which under his predecessor Indra Nooyi—herself born in India—had already demonstrated a commitment to selecting leaders based on global experience and capability rather than national origin.

Second, Laguarta's strategic emphasis on sustainability as a core business concern rather than a peripheral corporate responsibility initiative has positioned PepsiCo as a participant in ongoing debates about the role of large corporations in addressing climate change and environmental degradation. His comments at the 2026 World Economic Forum in Davos, framing sustainability as a long-term risk management issue, contributed to the evolving discourse on corporate environmental responsibility.

Third, under Laguarta's leadership, PepsiCo has pursued the integration of technology and data analytics into its operations, from supply chain management to consumer engagement. His appointment to the IBM board in 2026 further underscored this dimension of his professional focus.

The full assessment of Laguarta's impact on PepsiCo and on the broader food and beverage industry will depend on the company's long-term performance under his strategic direction, the outcomes of its sustainability commitments, and the evolution of the global consumer market in the years ahead.