PepsiCo ‘lifer’ takes on role as CMO for UK & Ireland

PepsiCo has appointed 20-year company stalwart Seren Cankiri as its new chief marketing officer for PepsiCo Foods UK & Ireland, succeeding Fernando Kahane, who has taken up a new global vice-president role at Unilever.

Cankiri moves over from PepsiCo Türkiye where was also CMO. Based out of Istanbul, he held end-to-end marketing responsibility for both the regional snacks and beverages divisions while sitting on the company board.

In his new role, Cankiri will lead brand strategy, portfolio growth, innovation, and consumer insights across the region.

He joins the local executive leadership team and will tap into his data-driven marketing expertise to drive growth for some of the UK’s most iconic grocery brands, including Walkers, Doritos, Wotsits, Monster Munch, and Quaker Oats.

AMV BBDO is the lead agency for major snack brands, while OMD UK handles media planning and buying, including partnerships and influencer strategies, through OMD Create, meanwhile, the Salesforce Platform integrates retailer, delivery fleet and marketing data for streamlined operations.

Cankiri first joined the global food and beverage giant back in 2006, beginning his journey as a trade marketing specialist.

Over the following 20 years, he held a raft of senior leadership roles that spanned multiple international territories, including as marketing director for Doritos and the “Family Fun” platform across East Europe.

He has been at PepsiCo Türkiye since 2022, joining as senior marketing director for snacks, before taking on the CMO role in 2024.

Kahane spent nearly eight years at PepsiCo. In March, he quit to join Unilever as the global vice president for Vaseline.

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