PepsiCo, Inc. announced that Mauro Porcini will join the company in the newly created role of chief design officer. Porcini, who formerly held the same role at 3M, will be responsible for infusing design thinking into PepsiCo's organization and culture by globally managing design with a creative, innovative and consumer-centered approach for PepsiCo's brands, with a strong focus on its top 12 global brands – Pepsi, Lay's, Gatorade, Quaker, Tropicana, Lipton, Sierra Mist/7-Up, Doritos, Cheetos, Mountain Dew, Sun and Mirinda.
"PepsiCo is investing in building our global brands and innovation so that we can capitalize on growth opportunities around the world," said John Compton, president, PepsiCo in a prepared statement. "It is important for our brands to have a consistent and compelling 'voice' across geographies, media channels and consumer touch points. Mauro is a proven leader in architecting and managing a global design strategy and his creativity will influence all physical and virtual expressions of our PepsiCo brands."
At 3M as CDO, Porcini managed 3M's design strategies and projects with teams based in the United States, Italy, China, and Japan, and collaborated with a broad variety of renowned external partners. He worked with the company's business and R&D leaders to evolve and nurture the corporation's design culture. Porcini leveraged 3M's technology heritage and brands to produce innovation and growth through an "experience-driven" approach.
Before joining 3M in 2002, Porcini founded and owned, with the Italian showbiz producer and music star Claudio Cecchetto, the design firm Wisemad SrL, where he led creative projects for clients in the technology, multimedia and entertainment industries. His projects on "Smart Clothing" have been showcased at the Louvre Museum in Paris and in the Seoul Art Center. He studied product and strategic design at the University Politecnico in Milan, Italy, and at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland.
Porcini will report to PepsiCo Global Beverage Group President, Brad Jakeman, who also is leading PepsiCo's long-term plan to drive more design-based innovation.
"At PepsiCo we believe that creating powerful consumer experiences and connections through design is a key lever of growth," said Jakeman. "Mauro is equally as passionate about this belief and will lead the creation of a strong, imaginative and dynamic ecosystem around our brands. For the Pepsi trademark specifically, this ecosystem will remind consumers of the brand's long-standing connection to pop culture and all things 'NOW'."
Porcini added, "PepsiCo has an amazing portfolio of brands and I'm truly excited to help build a global design architecture that conveys brand content more widely and faster than ever before. As we build global brands, I look forward to partnering with my new colleagues to leverage design thinking as an asset to produce innovative and creative solutions. Together, we'll craft a strong design system to deliver consistent and engaging experiences with our brands wherever they are in the world."
