PepsiCo has appointed Mark Kirkham as chief marketing officer of PepsiCo Beverages North America, the company confirmed to ADWEEK.

He succeeds Greg Lyons, who served as the division’s CMO since January 2017. According to PepsiCo, Lyons is leaving to pursue an external opportunity, though his next job has not been disclosed.

Kirkham most recently served as senior vice president of marketing for sparkling brands and returned to the U.S. six months ago after holding international leadership roles, including CMO of PepsiCo International Beverages. A 15-year PepsiCo veteran, he brings 25 years of experience across insights, innovation, and global brand building.

He steps into the CMO role at a pivotal time for PepsiCo’s beverage business, as the company doubles down on healthier options and looks to revitalize its portfolio of brands. Kirkham played a key role in expanding the company’s zero sugar offerings globally, particularly with the Pepsi Zero Sugar Challenge, an initiative aimed at converting regular soda drinkers to the zero-calorie variety.

Other major campaigns under Kirkham’s leadership include Pepsi’s global rebrand, Gatorade’s “Fuel Tomorrow” brand platform, the “Food Deserves Pepsi” campaign, and the recent restage of Mountain Dew—all focused on modernizing the portfolio and courting younger, health-conscious consumers.

Ram Krishnan, CEO of PepsiCo Beverages North America, called Kirkham “a multi-disciplined marketer and creative storyteller” in a statement to ADWEEK, praising his “imaginative approach to scalable problem solving.”

Kirkham’s appointment comes as PepsiCo and rival Coca-Cola compete for dominance in a shifting beverage landscape. Both companies have placed major marketing bets on zero sugar variants as consumers increasingly avoid sugary drinks.

Coca-Cola recently retooled its Coke Zero Sugar formula and launched Gen Z-focused campaigns including an AI-generated music studio, a collaboration with K-pop group NewJeans, and creator-led content experiences tied to the Share a Coke platform.

Meanwhile, in addition to acquiring prebiotic soda brand Poppi for $1.95 billion earlier this month, PepsiCo has worked to refresh its flagship brand while tying Pepsi more closely to meals.

Kirkham was unavailable for interviews at the time of publication. But he shared on ADWEEK’s Speed of Culture podcast in September 2024: “The day I stop learning is the day I stop being a marketer. As a marketer, you should be fundamentally curious and always be looking to understand your consumer better.”