Company: PepsiCo Beverages North America South Division, Orlando, Florida
Company Description: PepsiCo, Inc. is an American multinational food, snack, and beverage corporation.
Nomination Category: Individual Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Female Executive of the Year – Consumer Products –More Than 2,500 Employees
 Nomination Title: Heather Hoytink
- Outline the nominee's achievements since July 1 2021 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 249 words used.
Heather has proved time and time again that it is her mission to champion others, especially when it comes to empowering women at every level in the workplace. She deeply believes that everyone deserves the opportunity to pursue their career goals and is committed to creating a supportive and inclusive environment for all employees.
Heather is closely involved with the She Is PepsiCo campaign, which honors hard-working women in frontline roles. This year, more than two dozen women in manufacturing and operations roles, including three from the South Division, were nominated by their peers and celebrated throughout Women’s History Month with their headshots emblazoned on 18-wheelers traveling around the country. The campaign champions the outstanding work these women do and inspires more women to join a diverse workforce of frontline workers.
Heather also spearheaded the development of the South Division’s Returnship Program, designed to help women professionals return to the workforce after taking time off for caregiving. In partnership with the non-profit Path Forward, the 16-week program provides professional development workshops, networking opportunities, mentorship support, and the possibility of full-time PepsiCo job offers upon completion.
Additionally, Heather is an executive sponsor of the Pinnacle Leadership Development Program, an internal, preeminent sales development program for female sales leaders with the objective to develop, advance, and retain talent while strengthening the talent pipeline.
Heather’s influence reaches far beyond PepsiCo. Within the last year, being recognized as an Orlando Business Journal 2022 Power Player and Orlando Magazine’s 2023 Women of the Year.
- Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 61 words used.
- Which will you submit for your nomination in this category, a video of up to five (5) minutes, explaining the achievements since July 1, 2021 of the nominated woman, OR written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video. If you are submitting written answers to the questions for this category, provide them in the spaces below:
N/A - no video, written responses below
- Briefly describe the nominated individual: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 192 words used.
Heather Hoytink is the South Division President, PepsiCo Beverages North America, leading a nearly $5.5B beverage portfolio – over 35% growth since beginning her position in 2022. The company’s first woman division president, Heather is responsible for end-to-end P&L ownership and manages all cross-functional activity.
During her 17-year career at PepsiCo, Heather has served in sales and operating leadership roles of increasing responsibility across all four beverage divisions. Prior to her role, she was Senior Vice President, Commercial, overseeing all food service and retail sales among many other responsibilities. Between 2017 – 2019, Heather served as Senior Vice President of Foodservice Sales, when she delivered a record 10-year revenue growth and scaled the first e-commerce online ordering platform to 30,000 customers.
Heather is a Board Member of the North American Coffee Partnership (NACP), a $2.8B joint venture owned by PepsiCo and Starbucks that manufactures, markets, sells, and distributes ready-to-drink Starbucks products. In 2023, Heather joined the board of directors of the American Beverage Association, the trade association that represents America's non-alcoholic beverage industry, and Florida Citrus Sports, a not-for-profit dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region with world-class events.
- Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 241 words used.
For nearly 25 years, Heather Hoytink has built a career guided by her Midwestern values of hard work, humility and integrity. As PBNA’s first woman division president, Heather is a true force who has fashioned herself as a leading voice within PepsiCo and the greater Orlando business community. But a leader cannot act in silo – Heather’s achievements are notable because they highlight her passion for people-centric leadership.
As a purpose-driven senior executive, Heather’s achievements are raising other women employees and families at PepsiCo to new heights. From her involvement with She Is PepsiCo to empower frontline workers to spearheading the company’s Returnship program, Heather creates equitable working environments by removing barriers to success. She stands as a representative of what female success looks like in the industry and leverages her platform to expand accessibility, making room for other women at the table.
Heather sees all employees as valuable contributors to PepsiCo’s larger mission and cultivates their value through innovative programs that support their needs. She is constantly elevating herself as a champion for South Division teams – whether by celebrating employee success or launching new DEI engagement initiatives. Her powerful example inspires the 15,000 employees under her direct leadership to achieve their professional and personal goals.
Heather’s people-first mentality is also apparent outside the walls of PepsiCo. By supporting purposeful, local action, she continues to elevate the South Division’s role as an essential partner to organizations in the area.
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