Mark Kirkham on Building Bridges Across Borders, Functions, and Perspectives

What I’ve Learned

Mark Kirkham has spent decades at PepsiCo, stewarding some of the world’s most beloved beverage brands through growth, disruption, and transformation. Along the way, he has witnessed a simple but profound truth: when teams see their differences as dividing lines, progress stalls. But when they anchor to a shared center — the consumer — those same differences become their greatest strength.

“When you put the consumer at the center, differences become strengths.”

In a company that operates across more than 200 markets, the potential for friction between global priorities and local realities is ever-present. The crucible moments come when a strategy built for scale meets a market with its own cultural, competitive, or commercial nuance. For Mark, those moments have reinforced the power of bridge-building — not as a negotiation between sides, but as a way to unlock the full advantage of PepsiCo’s scale and diversity.

How I’ve Sharpened

Mark has come to see his role as that of a translator and connector, bringing people together across functions, geographies, and disciplines. His approach is less about imposing solutions and more about creating alignment through respect and shared purpose:

• Center on the consumer. By grounding every conversation in consumer needs, he shifts debates away from power and toward purpose.
• Honor expertise at every level. Global resources provide reach; local teams provide cultural fluency. Both are indispensable, and both must be respected.
• Connect the languages of the business. R&D speaks in innovation, sales in distribution, marketing in storytelling. By translating across these dialects, Mark builds bridges that unite disciplines.
• Celebrate bridges in action. When a breakthrough in one market inspires success in another, he shines a light on it — reinforcing the idea that collaboration creates strength.

These practices are not tactics, but reflections of a leadership philosophy that prizes humility, inclusivity, and the belief that progress is shared.

Why It Matters

PepsiCo’s scale is vast. Its portfolio is diverse. Its markets are unique. Left unconnected, those qualities could create silos. But when bridged, they create a competitive advantage no other company can match: speed and relevance, scale and intimacy, consistency and creativity.

Mark’s story is a reminder that bridges are not built to erase differences — they are built to connect them. And in that connection lies innovation, trust, and impact.

“Global scale gives us speed. Local insight gives us relevance. Together, they make us unstoppable.”

About Mark Kirkham

Mark Kirkham is the Chief Marketing Officer of PepsiCo Beverages North America. He is recognized for building bridges across PepsiCo’s global and local teams by making the consumer the common ground and uniting functions around shared outcomes.