Dive Brief:
- PepsiCo has brought onboard IT veteran Jody Davids to serve as the company's new CIO. She joined the company earlier this month.
- Prior to her PepsiCo appointment, Davids was CIO at Agrium since April 2014 in addition to being CIO at Best Buy and Cardinal Health. She also held IT and engineering roles at Nike and Apple.
- Davids is replacing Robert Dixon, who is retiring after holding the CIO position since 2007.
Dive Insight:
Under Dixon's leadership, PepsiCo underwent significant digitization changes. These included a major SAP ERP transformation and implementation of automated business processes, and data analyzation for business insights, according to CIO. PepsiCo also began using Cisco telepresence systems in major offices globally to enable video teleconferences between employees and with distributors and retailers.
While it's likely Davids will carry on with these initiatives, she's also expected to make her mark on the way PepsiCo runs its IT.
PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi has been known to promote the importance of innovation within the company, particularly in terms of product development. But bringing on an IT veteran like Davids demonstrates Nooyi's complementary commitment to operational innovation.