PepsiCo has promoted Shailja Joshi to Senior Director, Marketing, Global Canisters and Imports. Announcing the move on LinkedIn, Joshi expressed gratitude to the India Leadership Team. Previously Director, Marketing (CSD), she led campaigns for Pepsi, 7Up, and Mirinda. Associated with PepsiCo since 2019, she earlier worked with Britannia Industries.
PepsiCo has announced the elevation of marketing leader Shailja Joshi to the role of Senior Director, Marketing, Global Canisters and Imports, marking another milestone in her accomplished journey with the global food and beverage giant. The announcement was shared by Joshi herself on LinkedIn, where she expressed both excitement and gratitude for the new chapter in her professional life. “I’m excited to share that I’ve taken on a new challenge at PepsiCo as Senior Director, Marketing, Global Canisters and Imports! As I move ahead, I’m deeply grateful to the India Leadership Team for their incredible support, guidance, and belief throughout my journey in India,” she wrote, reflecting on her years of growth within the organisation.
Before this global promotion, Joshi had been serving as Director, Marketing (CSD) since May 2023, where she led strategic marketing initiatives for PepsiCo’s flagship beverage portfolio, including Pepsi, 7Up, and Mirinda. Her role also encompassed innovation across categories, reinforcing the company’s leadership in the competitive carbonated soft drink segment in India. Known for her sharp consumer insights and brand-building acumen, Joshi played a key role in reshaping PepsiCo India’s communication strategies, particularly around youth engagement and the revival of classic brand narratives with a contemporary twist.
Joshi joined PepsiCo in October 2019, bringing with her extensive experience from Britannia Industries, where she contributed to some of the company’s most recognised campaigns and product innovations. Her move to PepsiCo came at a time when the beverage major was accelerating its focus on digital-led marketing and portfolio diversification in India. Over the past five years, she has been at the forefront of that transformation, steering multiple campaigns that balanced brand heritage with cultural relevance — a hallmark of PepsiCo’s approach to storytelling in diverse markets.
Her elevation to a global marketing role is seen as both a recognition of her leadership impact and a reflection of PepsiCo’s strategy to nurture and promote talent across geographies. The new role will see her overseeing the Global Canisters and Imports division, a segment that plays a crucial part in PepsiCo’s premium and international product strategy. This division handles marketing for globally distributed canister products, often including beverages and snacks designed for cross-market appeal and global supply integration. By leveraging her deep understanding of consumer behaviour in emerging markets, Joshi is expected to bring fresh insights into how global brands can maintain consistency while adapting to local tastes and cultural nuances.
Industry observers see her appointment as part of a larger trend where Indian marketing leaders are taking on influential global roles within multinational corporations. Over the last decade, several Indian executives have moved into international leadership positions at companies like Unilever, Mondelez, and Coca-Cola, underlining India’s growing reputation as a talent hub for global consumer brands. Joshi’s transition from leading PepsiCo’s India marketing operations to shaping its global canister and import strategy fits this evolving pattern of cross-border leadership mobility.
At PepsiCo India, Joshi’s marketing tenure was marked by high-impact campaigns that blended youthful energy with cultural storytelling. Whether it was refreshing the brand voice of 7Up, reinvigorating Mirinda’s fun positioning, or giving Pepsi’s brand identity a new-age, digital-first edge, her work reflected a keen understanding of India’s evolving consumption patterns. Her initiatives often resonated with the Gen Z and millennial demographic — two segments driving beverage consumption growth in India and beyond.
Colleagues and industry peers have often described her leadership style as collaborative and insight-driven. Her ability to connect creativity with business outcomes has earned her recognition within PepsiCo’s internal network and across India’s marketing community. The company’s leadership has consistently emphasised its focus on empowering talent and promoting diversity within its global structure, a philosophy exemplified by Joshi’s rise.
With this promotion, Joshi joins a growing cadre of women leaders shaping the future of global marketing. Her elevation is especially notable in an industry where female representation in senior leadership roles, though improving, still lags. Her journey serves as an inspiration to many aspiring marketers who see global opportunities as a natural next step after proving their mettle in dynamic emerging markets.
As she steps into her new role, industry watchers will be looking at how Joshi applies her India-honed marketing instincts to global markets, where brand narratives must appeal to vastly different consumer bases. The Global Canisters and Imports division is also an increasingly important pillar in PepsiCo’s sustainability and innovation roadmap — from eco-friendly packaging to responsible sourcing and expanding global distribution channels. Joshi’s leadership could play a key role in aligning creative storytelling with these broader corporate goals.
For PepsiCo, this move underscores the company’s continued focus on nurturing leaders who can bridge local expertise with global perspectives. For Joshi, it represents not just a career advancement but a platform to influence marketing on a truly international scale. Her LinkedIn announcement, filled with gratitude and anticipation, captured the spirit of an executive who has grown through purpose, passion, and performance — values that resonate deeply within PepsiCo’s global brand ethos.
As she takes the helm of her new portfolio, Shailja Joshi’s journey stands as a testament to how marketing leadership in India is no longer confined to national boundaries but is increasingly shaping the global playbook for some of the world’s biggest brands.
