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PepsiCo's Eugene Willemsen joins USISPF board
Willemsen oversees PepsiCo's international beverages business and foods operations in India.
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Malvika Choudhary - Thu, 11, Jun 2026
- 12:35 EDT
- 49
Eugene Willemsen / USISPF
The U.S.-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) added Eugene Willemsen, chief executive officer of International Beverages at PepsiCo, to its board of directors on June 11.
Willemsen leads PepsiCo’s international beverages business outside North America, including SodaStream and the company’s Beyond the Bottle platforms, while also overseeing PepsiCo’s foods business in India. He brings more than three decades of experience at PepsiCo, with leadership roles across Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
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Announcing the appointment, John Chambers, chairman of USISPF and founder and CEO of JC2 Ventures, said Willemsen’s experience would strengthen the organization as U.S.-India ties continue to expand.
“As the U.S.-India partnership continues to expand across every major sector, it’s a pleasure to welcome Eugene Willemsen to the USISPF board of directors. Eugene brings tremendous global leadership experience from the food and beverages sector, along with a deep understanding of consumer trends and growth opportunities in India,” Chambers said.
“His perspective on innovation, international markets, and scaling consumer businesses will be invaluable to USISPF’s mission and continued growth in the coming years,” he added.
Mukesh Aghi, president and CEO of USISPF, said PepsiCo has maintained a strong presence in India since entering the market in the early 1990s and noted the company’s longstanding association with Indian consumers.
“It’s my honor to welcome Eugene to the Board of Directors at USISPF. Since PepsiCo’s entrance to the market in the early 1990s, it has had instant brand recognition and been a hit across metros and villages in India, and many Indian consumers attach a sense of fondness for Pepsi’s long sponsorship and association with the Indian cricket team,” Aghi said.
He also recalled the company’s connection with USISPF through Indra Nooyi, who served as a founding board member of the organization.
Commenting on his appointment, Eugene Willemsen said he looked forward to contributing to efforts aimed at strengthening economic ties between the United States and India.
“I’m honored to join the USISPF Board and support its mission to strengthen the ties between the United States and India. As one of the world’s most dynamic consumer markets, India plays a critical role in global growth, and I look forward to bringing insights from PepsiCo’s experience to help advance innovation, investment, and shared progress across both economies,” Willemsen said.
“I’m particularly excited to contribute to the dialogue on how businesses can partner more closely to unlock opportunity, foster sustainable growth, and deepen economic collaboration between our two countries,” he added.
Willemsen joined PepsiCo in 1995 and currently oversees the company’s beverage businesses outside North America. Before assuming his current role, he served as chief executive officer of PepsiCo’s Africa, Middle East, South Asia and International Beverages division from 2019 to December 2024, leading operations across 74 countries and a workforce of more than 26,000 employees.
During his career, he has held senior leadership positions, including CEO of PepsiCo Sub-Saharan Africa, executive vice president of Global Categories and Franchise Management, and head of the company’s global tea joint venture with Unilever. He has also led PepsiCo businesses across Europe, including Southeast Europe, Northern Europe and the Benelux region.
Beyond PepsiCo, Willemsen serves as chair of the U.S. Chamber’s U.S.-UAE Business Program, chairman of the U.S.-Africa Business Council, and an advisory board member of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce. He also represents PepsiCo on the World Economic Forum’s Regional Action Group for Africa.
A graduate of Nijenrode University in the Netherlands, Willemsen holds a bachelor’s degree in business administration, a master’s degree in economics from VU University Amsterdam, and an executive MBA from INSEAD.
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