PEPSICO
Venky’ s strategy combines external SaaS tools with internal platforms designed for competitive advantage. Rather than forcing uniform solutions across diverse markets, PepsiCo built reusable components that adapt locally but scale globally. This modular approach allowed teams to plug into a common digital backbone while tailoring front-end experiences to regional consumer needs. The result was a balance between efficiency and flexibility: global consistency where it mattered and local agility where it was essential.
Platform architecture solves enterprise fragmentation The technology team built their globalisation strategy around four pillars: reusable, offline-first frontend components, enabling frameworks, common backend systems and embedded AI capabilities.
“ Our strategy has been to build reusable platforms with modular capabilities, enabling rapid deployment while preserving local adaptability.” Venky explains.
Two foundational platforms anchor this architecture. The Omni-Channel Commerce Hub( OCH) provides unified commerce backend powering catalogue management, offline sync, master data distribution and transaction processing across channels. The Digital Solution Accelerator( DSX) delivers reusable services for identity, access, security, observability, communications, task management and AI infrastructure.
These platforms let PepsiCo consolidate separate front-office systems: Sales + for Foods and Savvy for Beverages, with the integration creating a closed-loop system from planning to shelf execution while maintaining flexibility for local markets.
The technical implementation uses cloud-native architecture, microservices and API-first design to handle millions of concurrent users across diverse geographies.
VENKY SANTHIRAHASAN
SVP ENGINEERING & TECHNOLOGY
From aerospace cockpits to the shelves of the world’ s biggest retailers, Venky Santhirahasan has spent his career at the frontiers of innovation. Today, as Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology at PepsiCo, he is reimagining how technology powers one of the world’ s most iconic companies: building digital platforms that transform supply chains, deepen consumer connections and redefine scale. With leadership roots at Honeywell and Wabtec( GE Transportation), Venky has turned complex challenges into global solutions across industries. A patented innovator and visionary leader, he blends technical mastery with humancentered leadership, inspiring teams to create technology that doesn’ t just serve today, but shapes tomorrow.
86 November 2025