PepsiCo has formally appointed Shirley Mukerjea as CMO for foods in Canada, placing a longtime company marketer and former global brand lead at the helm of its Canadian snacks portfolio.

Mukerjea has been at PepsiCo for the past 18 years, most recently under the title of senior global marketing director leading positive brands and corporate brand transformation starting in December 2022. In the role she worked on the company’s “pep+” sustainability initiative and spearheaded a partnership with the National Geographic Society, while playing a lead role in the company’s global rebrand and reputation strategy.

In her new role, Mukerjea is overseeing marketing for PepsiCo Canada’s foods portfolio that includes brands such as Lay’s, Doritos, Tostitos, Miss Vickie’s and Quaker. PepsiCo says she has been working in the CMO role since December and that her mandate includes efforts modernize brand-building and commercial strategy in Canada, with a focus on cultural relevance and long-term growth. In March, she assisted with the Canadian launch of Lay’s “Fan of the Match” campaign for the coming FIFA World Cup.

Mukerjea began with PepsiCo working on the Tropicana and Naked Juice businesses in May 2008 before moving through leadership roles on the company’s hydration portfolio, which included Gatorade, Aquafina and One Coconut Water among its brands. She transitioned to PepsiCo Canada’s foods business in 2018, overseeing shopper, field, portfolio and sports marketing before later taking the lead on core brands such as Lay’s, Tostitos and Doritos.

The official announcement comes comes a year after Jess Spaulding announced last May that she was stepping down from her PepsiCo Canada CMO position to lead marketing for food master brands and portfolio transformation at PepsiCo Foods in the U.S.