Brands
PepsiCo India names Rinkesh Satija as VP, supply chain ops India & South Asia
Seasoned operations leader takes charge of India and South Asia
MUMBAI: Rinkesh Satija has been elevated to vice president – supply chain operations, India and South Asia at PepsiCo, stepping into a role that puts him at the helm of the end to end supply chain for the company’s foods business across India and three other countries.
In his expanded mandate, Satija will oversee agri sourcing, supply chain planning, manufacturing, logistics, capacity expansion, quality and food safety, environment, health and safety, as well as continuous improvement. He will also drive digital transformation initiatives while advancing PepsiCo’s pep plus sustainability agenda.
With over 13 years at PepsiCo, Satija has steadily moved up the ranks. Most recently, as senior director – supply chain, foods operations for the India region, he led integrated operations across sourcing, planning, manufacturing and warehousing. Earlier, as director – supply chain for logistics, distribution and transportation, he spearheaded network optimisation efforts and strengthened integrated planning systems during the pandemic to ensure business continuity.
Beyond operational efficiency, Satija has been a strong advocate for productivity acceleration, people development and embedding sustainability into everyday business processes.
Sharing his thoughts at the PepsiCo presents voices of harvest awards, powered by Lay’s, he said he was delighted to be part of a platform celebrating partnerships that give purpose to business. Calling PepsiCo “an agri company at heart”, he reiterated the company’s commitment to farmers and communities through its partnership of progress. He is set to join a panel discussion titled seeding change – creating the ecosystem for transformation, focusing on how collaboration can create lasting impact.
Satija also serves as an independent director at IITI Drishti CPS Foundation, a technology innovation hub at IIT Indore under the national mission on interdisciplinary cyber physical systems, reflecting his interest in the intersection of industry and digital innovation.
An engineer by training, with a mechanical engineering degree from Rajasthan Technical University and a postgraduate diploma in business administration from Symbiosis Centre for Distance Learning, Satija began his career at Haldia Petrochemicals and Larsen and Toubro before moving into senior leadership roles at Akzo Nobel India.
From factory floors to boardrooms, his journey has been shaped by scale, systems and sustainability. Now, with a wider regional brief at PepsiCo, the focus shifts to making the supply chain not just faster and leaner, but smarter and greener too.
Brands
DeVANS sparks buzz with self-chilling beer can April Fools campaign
Godfather stunt racks up 7 million impressions, blending humour with hype
NEW DELHI: DeVANS Modern Breweries has stirred up the marketing pot with a playful yet high-impact campaign teasing a futuristic “self-chilling beer can” under its flagship Godfather label.
What began as a seemingly bold product innovation quickly turned into one of the most talked-about brand moments online, before being revealed as an April Fools’ Day prank. The reveal, however, did little to cool the buzz.
The campaign clocked over 7 million organic impressions across platforms including LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook and X, with users debating whether the concept was a genuine breakthrough or clever marketing theatre. Thousands of shares and comments turned the idea into a full-blown conversation, drawing in both consumers and industry insiders.
The hook was simple but effective. A self-chilling can positioned as an on-the-go convenience product tapped into the imagination of younger, urban audiences. Add the timing around April Fools’ Day, and the campaign struck the perfect balance between curiosity and scepticism, keeping audiences guessing.
Marketing experts have pointed to the campaign as a case study in leveraging cultural moments. By leaving just enough ambiguity, the brand invited audiences to participate rather than simply observe, turning passive viewers into active contributors to the narrative.
“Godfather has always been an iconic brand, but iconicity must evolve to stay meaningful,” said DeVANS Modern Breweries chairman and managing director Prem Dewan. “The ‘Self-Chilling Can’ was our way of showing up in a cultural moment with confidence and a sense of humour.”
Beyond the numbers, the campaign signals a broader repositioning for Godfather. Long seen as a legacy beer brand, it is now leaning into youth culture, digital-first storytelling and topical engagement to stay relevant in a crowded alcobev market.
In a space where attention is fleeting, DeVANS has shown that sometimes the coolest idea is the one that keeps people guessing.
