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Pepsico campaign celebrates women thriving in supply chain careers
PepsiCo has been running a global, She is PepsiCo campaign, which will include recognition of women who work in frontline roles in markets around the world, showcasing their transformative abilities, and helping to recruit even more to apply for frontline roles.
The annual programme rebrands some of the company's highly visible delivery trucks with the names and faces of She is PepsiCo honorees.
Featuring photos of these employees in their work settings, in place of the company's brands, is at the heart of how the global campaign aims to celebrate and empower women.
A 2023 Gartner survey showed that women made up 41% of the total supply chain workforce, up from 39% in 2022. However, the same survey also found that when you look specifically at frontline representation in the supply chain workforce, women filled just 31% of these roles.1 Women account for about half of the U.S. labor force, but represent less than one-third of the manufacturing workforce.2
PepsiCo recognizes the importance of women seeing the opportunities available to them. The She is PepsiCo campaign demonstrates how women can build and grow a meaningful frontline career at PepsiCo supported by the tools and culture to nurture their continued development.
Becky Schmitt, Chief Human Resource Officer, PepsiCo: "Getting more women to apply for frontline roles isn't just beneficial for the employees, their families and the communities where we operate — it's also important to our business. PepsiCo wants women to clearly see the career opportunities that are available to them and hear from the women who are thriving in frontline careers, and beyond. We hope people who see these trucks in markets around the world will be inspired to apply for a role at PepsiCo."
More than two dozen women across the United States and Canada are 2024 She is PepsiCo honorees. The women being recognized work as truck drivers, mechanics, merchandisers, and warehouse loaders, among other frontline roles. Each of the women will be honored at local truck-unveiling events, where they will see their name and photo on a PepsiCo truck that will roll through their community.
Andrea Ferrara, Chief Human Resource Officer, PepsiCo Beverages North America (PBNA): "This is the third year we're honoring PBNA's exemplary frontline women through She is PepsiCo and I'm always moved by the individual career journeys of the honorees and the important role they each play in our business — making, moving and selling our products. Our business truly relies on excellence in these frontline roles. I am proud that PBNA creates these unique moments of recognition to help drive belonging for all our employees, making a large company feel small."
Measurable Business Impact
The She is PepsiCo campaign started in 2022 with PBNA's West Division, expanded nationally in 2023 and is now a global campaign. Female applicants for frontline roles at PBNA have increased by 6% since 2022. In 2023, PBNA saw broad frontline retention improvements, with 210 sites reducing turnover by 10 percent. And, in the past two years, more than 800 frontline associates were promoted to supervisory roles.
The Women Leading PepsiCo's North American Supply Chain
A goal of the She is PepsiCo campaign is for the company's workforce to mirror the communities where it operates.
This is reflected in PepsiCo's Supply Chain senior leadership. Karen Jordan is the Chief Supply Chain Officer for PBNA, and Laura Maxwell is the Chief Supply Chain Officer for PepsiCo Foods North America (PFNA). Jordan began her career at PepsiCo as an Integrated Planning Manager in New York in 2002, while Maxwell kicked off her career at PepsiCo as a Plant Project Engineer in Iowa in 1989.
Jordan and Maxwell collectively lead nearly 100,000 frontline employees spanning operations, transportation, and manufacturing for PepsiCo's $55 billion North American business units (in 2023 net revenue).
She Is PepsiCo Honoree Profiles
The She is PepsiCo campaign visibly spotlights the diverse array of women in frontline roles at the company. Each of the honorees has a unique career journey, finds different value from their role, and has individual career goals. These are a few of their stories:
Tracy Pendleton is a Transport Driver in Cranston, RI. After managing a convenience store, she made a career change to driving with her CDL A. Being a driver for PepsiCo allows her to have a career she loves and be home every night with her sons.
Sterling Graham joined our Orillia, Ontario, Canada team as a merchandiser in 2019 and set her sights on completing a PepsiCo-sponsored Class AZ commercial driver's license course. Today, she's one of PepsiCo's drivers and a dedicated team member who ensures that PepsiCo beverages are delivered to stores and customers.
Kanoe Kapana is a Large Format Bulk Customer Representative in Salt Lake City, UT and joined PepsiCo in a merchandising role after previous jobs in automotive and HR. Kapana begins her day at 5:00am, where she spends her shift navigating assigned accounts and ensuring shelves are filled, back stock is organized, and displays are appealing.
Casey Bair is a Large Format Sales Representative in Frederick, MD who has been working at PepsiCo for 5 years. Bair starts her day with her largest account, walking the store, engaging with customers and employees, and ensuring everything is well-stocked.
Joni Woitas is a Machine Operator in Burnsville, MN with 32 years of experience. Originally captivated by her daily passing of a PepsiCo facility in Rhode Island, she has held various frontline operations roles at PepsiCo and is currently a CO2 Tank Filler Operator.
Building a Pipeline of Women in STEM
Many of PepsiCo's frontline careers are based in STEM, and building a pipeline of women for STEM roles has been a long-standing priority and commitment for PepsiCo. PepsiCo is a founding member of the global Million Women Mentors initiative and in the decade since founding, PepsiCo employees have collectively pledged more than 23,000 volunteer hours, with a focus on mentoring women and girls in STEM, particularly in underserved communities.
She is PepsiCo reflects PepsiCo's "A Space to Be You" aspiration to create a collaborative, equitable, and inclusive space where everyone, regardless of what we look like, where we come from, or whom we love, has a voice. This mantra extends to PepsiCo's business partners and the communities it serves, and helps drive the company's progress toward its pep+ ambitions, including achieving gender parity in management roles globally, maintaining pay equity, and helping to uplift underserved communities around the world.
