Former PepsiCo CEO Donald Kendall has died. He was aged 99.
PepsiCo confirmed his death on a memorial page.
Kendall’s family said in a news release that he died Saturday.
A statement issued by PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon L. Laguarta said “All of us at PepsiCo are devastated by the passing of Don Kendall. Don was the architect of the PepsiCo family. He was relentless about growing our business, a fearless leader, and the ultimate salesman. He believed in business as a way to build bridges between cultures, laying the foundation of our commitment to Winning with Purpose and defining the values that we refer to today as The PepsiCo Way.”
According to the company, Donald Kendall and Herman Lay organized the deal to merge Pepsi-Cola and Frito-Lay in 1965, creating the “modern-day” PepsiCo.
He was also a long time friend of former U.S President Richard Nixon.
The consumer giant added that although Kendall retired from his post in 1986, he continued to participate in the management of the corporation, having dedicated a total of 39 years to it.
