PepsiCo Global CEOs Sell Shares Amidst Billions in Stock Compensation

PepsiCo Inc. has disclosed that senior executives overseeing its International Beverages and Europe-Middle East-Africa operations recently received share-based awards and sold portions of their existing holdings.

Eugene Willemsen, CEO of the International Beverages division, sold 6,500 shares in the open market on March 4, raising roughly $1.1 million (about ₩1.4 billion), yet he still retains direct and indirect equity totaling approximately $13.7 million (around ₩18.0 billion).

Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta, on March 1, was granted new performance-vesting stock units (PSUs) vesting through 2029 and restricted stock units (RSUs) vesting over three years—awards valued at several hundred billion Korean won—and on March 2 sold about 27,000 shares. Silviu Popovici, CEO of Europe, Middle East & Africa, expanded his stake via a similar RSU structure without any cash transactions.

PepsiCo recently announced a $10 billion share repurchase program, a dividend increase and a plan to reshape its snack portfolio, while accelerating health-focused product launches—such as the prebiotic soda Poppi and low-sugar Gatorade Low Sugar—to diversify its growth engines.

Meanwhile, regulatory and legal risks have come into focus amid an antitrust lawsuit over alleged discriminatory discount terms in its Walmart dealings and the launch of a shareholder-led probe into management. Those developments have added volatility to PepsiCo’s share price, which fell over 1% on March 3.

PepsiCo, a leading U.S. consumer goods company with global beverage and snack brands including Pepsi, Lay’s, Doritos and Gatorade, operates in more than 200 countries. Spanish-born Ramon Laguarta has served as CEO since 2018, spearheading portfolio transformation and the “PepsiCo Positive” strategy. Effective March 1, 2026, he will also join IBM’s board, concurrently holding a directorship at another major global corporation.