Jane Wakely is reinventing what growth means at PepsiCo. For her, it starts with people: understanding how they live, eat, connect, and find joy. She believes that growth, powered by the science of category growth and the creativity of brand building, is what drives lasting performance.
As Executive Vice President, Chief Consumer and Marketing Officer, and Chief Growth Officer for International Foods, Jane leads PepsiCo’s Global Consumer organization, spanning Marketing, Insights, R&D, Design, and Category Strategy, while also driving the growth agenda of the International Foods business.
A passionate foodie, Jane believes great food starts on the farm. She is committed to grounding PepsiCo’s portfolio in high-quality, sustainably sourced ingredients, while stretching the company’s brands to new consumers, new occasions and new places. As part of this, she aspires for PepsiCo’s consumer functions to pioneer new consumer growth models enabled by technology, data and AI, ensuring that brands are deeply connected to the people they serve.
This work blends human intuition and empathy with data through Growth Navigator, a transformative capability with leading edge growth tools that are step-changing how PepsiCo diagnoses and builds quality growth plans to maximize consumer and commercial impact. Innovating consumer growth models from Direct-to-Consumer and social commerce to influencer and recommendation-based ecosystems, the team are redefining what effective, insight-led marketing looks like, driving a future where digital now accounts for more than 70% of PepsiCo’s advertising investment. By amplifying the focus on the consumer at every decision point, PepsiCo’s consumer and commercial functions are working together to both win share and lead and shape their categories for future generations.
As Head of the Consumer Function, Jane leads a high-performing global community of creatives united by a shared ambition—to build the most distinctive and iconic brands in the industry.
Over the past decade, her teams have earned more than 160 Cannes Lions, 120 One Show awards, 100 Effies, and 60 D&AD honors. Among her proudest achievements is winning the inaugural Cannes Grand Prix in the Sustainable Development Goals category, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme.
Jane also leads a world-class, 500-strong global in-house creative and design organization that elevates breakthrough creative for PepsiCo's iconic brands alongside strategic agency partners. Recognized by the industry with awards such as “In-House Agency of the Year” and Red Dot’s “Design Team of the Year,” the team represents a best-in-class creative ecosystem driving leading-edge consumer engagement through content, design, innovation, social, merchandising, and immersive brand experiences.
A mother of two, Jane is passionate about creating opportunities for future generations, ensuring the company’s growth supports sustainability, inclusion, and lasting impact across communities. She serves on the boards of the ANA, WFA, and EBI.
Jane often shortens her title to Chief Smiles Officer and is driven by the belief that every innovation, campaign and product can bring more reasons to smile, surprising and delighting consumers around the world and accelerating growth and impact.