PepsiCo names Ron Harrison Senior VP of Global Diversity and Community Affairs - Artículo Breve

Hispanic Times Magazine, June 22, 2001

Promotion expands role of executive who has been instrumental in PepsiCo Corporate diversity initiatives since 1986

PepsiCo, Inc. said recently it has promoted Ronald Harrison, vice president of community relations and a 36-year veteran of the corporation, to the new position of senior vice president of global diversity and community affairs.

The promotion will expand Mr. Harrison's longstanding role in promoting diversity among PepsiCo's employees and suppliers. He will assist PepsiCo in establishing a global diversity council designed to leverage PepsiCo's division diversity efforts across the entire corporation. Mr. Harrison will continue to serve as the corporation's chief liaison with a variety of national minority organizations. Later this year, his community affairs responsibilities will be assumed by David Gonzales, currently vice president of Global Purchasing at Frito-Lay International, PepsiCo's snack business outside North America. Mr .Gonzales will report to Ron Harrison.

"Ron Harrison is an exceptional leader who is uniquely equipped to build upon PepsiCo's long history of promoting diversity," said Steven Reinemund, PepsiCo president and chief operating officer. "In his new role Ron will be an even more powerful driver of our diversity efforts, within PepsiCo and in the communities we serve."

Mr. Harrison has been responsible for the community affairs office since 1986. In that position he has been instrumental in building the image of PepsiCo and its operating divisions among major ethnic consumer groups, in part though his leadership roles in a variety of national African American and Hispanic American community organizations.

He served as chairman of the International Franchise Association from 1999 to 2000, a role in which he actively promoted franchising as a viable business format for entrepreneurs in U.S. inner cities as well as in Asia and Europe. He also served as chairman of the $20 million Business Consortium Fund, which assists minority suppliers in establishing and building relationships with major U.S. companies.