Steven Williams

Steven Williams is the Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo Foods North America. He is a 24-year veteran of PepsiCo with strong leadership experience across the food industry. Mr. Williams has served as CEO since March 2019. He is the only Black executive in PepsiCo’s senior executive leadership.

As the CEO of PepsiCo Foods North America, Mr. Williams oversees all aspects of PepsiCo’s nearly $21 billion snack and convenient foods business in North America, including Frito-Lay North America (FLNA) and Quaker Foods North America (QFNA), with a diversified portfolio of iconic brands, including: Lay’s, Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Ruffles, Fritos, Stacy’s Pita Chips, SunChips and Quaker Oats. In this role, Mr. Williams is accountable for more than 65,000 associates and over 500 locations across the United States and Canada.

Personal Attributes and Interests

• Mr. Williams currently resides in Dallas, TX, with his wife.

Work Experience

Prior to his role as CEO, Mr. Williams served as senior vice president and chief commercial officer for Frito-Lay’s U.S. organization, setting strategy and overseeing all commercial activities for the U.S. field sales and customer organization, in addition to leading a large multi-functional sales organization, spanning all Frito-Lay retail customers, sales channels and go-to-market systems.

Mr. Williams also previously served as senior vice president and general manager for Frito-Lay’s East division where he was responsible for the overall business and performance management for the six geographic regions in the Eastern U.S.

Earlier in his tenure at PepsiCo, Mr. Williams led the company’s global Walmart business, managing the PepsiCo portfolio of products across all aspects of the Walmart Business worldwide, including: Walmart U.S., Sam’s Club, and Walmart International Divisions. In this role, he built strong strategic partnerships and delivered significant retail sales and share growth in Walmart.

Mr. Williams joined PepsiCo in 2001 as part of PepsiCo’s acquisition of the Quaker Oats Company, which he joined in 1997, and has held leadership positions of increased responsibility across PepsiCo in sales, general management, customer management, sales planning and shopper marketing, gaining deep experience and building a proven track record of strong results.

Board and Advisor Roles

• Mr. Williams is a member of the board of directors of State Farm Mutual Automobile Company. 

Philanthropy, Community Service and Memberships

Mr. Williams is very active in the community: 

• Serves on the executive advisory board for the Southern Methodist University Cox School of Business. 
• Serves on the president’s advisory board for University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center. 
• Also serving on the board of directors of the Dallas Regional Chamber and the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas.

Education

Mr. Williams holds a Bachelor of Arts in economics from the University of Central Oklahoma and is a graduate of the Program for Leadership Development (PLD) at Harvard Business School.