PepsiCo, Inc. (NASDAQ: PEP) today announced that its Board of Directors has elected Michelle Gass as an independent member of the Board, effective March 6, 2019. Ms. Gass, 51, currently serves as Chief Executive Officer and a director of Kohl's Corporation, a leading omnichannel retailer.

"Michelle is a strong global executive with a proven track record and deep knowledge in the consumer products and retail industries," said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta. "PepsiCo will benefit from her experience transforming retail through technology and the vast marketing, product innovation, and consumer branding capabilities she brings after serving in senior roles at Kohl's, Starbucks and Procter & Gamble."

Prior to assuming the role of CEO of Kohl's in 2018, Gass served as the company's Chief Merchandising & Customer Officer. She joined Kohl's in 2013 as Chief Customer Officer. Previously, Gass served in a variety of management positions with Starbucks Corporation from 1996 to 2013, including most recently as President, Starbucks Coffee EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) from 2011 to 2013, President, Seattle's Best Coffee, Executive Vice President, Global Marketing and Category and various leadership roles in other brand, creative, marketing and strategy functions. Prior to Starbucks, Ms. Gass was with The Procter & Gamble Company.

"We welcome Michelle to the PepsiCo Board of Directors," said Daniel Vasella, chairman of the Board's Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. "Her insights and experience transforming business to adapt to and embrace emerging opportunities will be valuable to us as we continue to invest in capabilities that create shareholder value and drive sustainable long-term growth."

Gass has served as a director of Kohl's since she began serving as CEO in 2018. She previously served on the boards of Ann Inc. from 2008 to 2013 and Cigna Corporation from 2014 to 2017.

She holds a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and an M.B.A. from University of Washington.

About PepsiCo 

PepsiCo products are enjoyed by consumers more than one billion times a day in more than 200 countries and territories around the world. PepsiCo generated more than $64 billion in net revenue in 2018, driven by a complementary food and beverage portfolio that includes Frito-Lay, Gatorade, Pepsi-Cola, Quaker and Tropicana. PepsiCo's product portfolio includes a wide range of enjoyable foods and beverages, including 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales.

Guiding PepsiCo is our vision to Be the Global Leader in Convenient Foods and Beverages by Winning with Purpose. "Winning with Purpose" reflects our ambition to win sustainably in the marketplace and embed purpose into all aspects of the business. For more information, visit www.pepsico.com