BGSU alum leads PepsiCo North America as president

BOWLING GREEN, Ohio – With 25 years of experience at PepsiCo, one Bowling Green State University alum is currently leading the multinational food and beverage corporation’s North American market as president, attributing much of their success to the foundation they established at the University.

At BGSU, Michael Del Pozzo fully immersed himself in the college experience, a decision he said helped build his confidence, grow his network and strengthen his leadership abilities – skills he continues to use in his career today.

“Bowling Green was perfect for me. What I realized back then, and what I try to help students understand today, is that college is more than an education – it’s career development,” Del Pozzo said. “People still say to me all the time, ‘I can’t believe you’re this kid from Bowling Green and now you’re running one of the biggest brands in the world.’

“I’m proof that it is possible.”

As PepsiCo’s North American president, Del Pozzo, a 1999 graduate who holds a degree in marketing from the nationally ranked BGSU Schmidthorst College of Business, leads the commercial and customer agenda across PepsiCo’s $55 billion foods and beverages businesses.

His team oversees digital commerce, go-to-market transformation, strategic business planning and shopper demand for all of the company’s brands across PepsiCo U.S. food and beverage, including Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Quaker, Gatorade, Poppi and many other billion-dollar brands, all while helping shape PepsiCo’s future strategy.

“The best part of my job is the relationships I’ve been able to build, whether it's at PepsiCo, with our customers or people in the industry,” Del Pozzo said, noting that BGSU helped foster his interest in building relationships.

As a student, Del Pozzo joined a fraternity, served as Undergraduate Student Government vice president, participated in a marketing student organization and played intramural sports. He said the University’s size – not too big and not too small – offered countless opportunities to get involved, which proved formative to his success.

“I always liked meeting people from different backgrounds,” Del Pozzo said. “That desire to build relationships carried forward throughout my career at PepsiCo. I know so many people, and it’s opened so many opportunities for me.”

Del Pozzo began his career with the food and beverage giant while he was still in college, interning at Quaker Gatorade, which later became part of PepsiCo.

Early in his career, Del Pozzo said he aspired to one day lead marketing for Gatorade, a role considered one of the company’s most competitive. Determined to reach that goal, he worked across every operating unit within PepsiCo’s North American business, relocating nine times during his career.

He was named president and general manager of the Gatorade portfolio in 2022, before assuming his current role as North American president in 2024.

Reflecting on his time at BGSU, Del Pozzo said the relationships he formed across campus with professors and students were integral to his growth and development.

“The relationships I built in college shaped who I am,” Del Pozzo said. “In high school, I was a good student. At BG, I became a great student. The University allowed me to grow and shine academically. For me, it was about getting as much as I could out of my time at the University.”