SPOTLIGHT: Rethinking the Frontline EVP, With PepsiCo Foods North America CHRO Patrick McLaughlin

The Gartner Talent Angle

Patrick McLaughlin, PepsiCo Foods North America CHRO, joined the Talent Angle at Evanta’s 2023 Dallas CHRO Executive Summit in June to reflect on what he refers to as “the inversion of the labor market.” For the first time, there are more jobs than people to fill them. HR leaders are charged with retaining and engaging the frontline workforce amid changing employee expectations and a competitive talent landscape. Patrick offers his perspective on current workforce trends, reflects on lessons learned in recent years and identifies opportunities for organizations to improve the employee experience for frontline workers. Patrick McLaughlin is senior vice president and chief HR officer for PepsiCo Foods North America, an operating division of PepsiCo. He is a 27-year veteran of PepsiCo with a broad range of leadership experience in beverages and foods. Before joining PepsiCo, Patrick worked for Exxon USA based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Patrick holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in organizational communication from Purdue University. Patrick also serves on the board of the Sabra Dipping Company, a joint venture of PepsiCo and the Strauss Group. He is an avid football fan and enjoys travel, gardening and cooking; he and his husband, David Talley, are active in the Dallas and New Orleans communities. Peter Aykens is the chief of research for Gartner’s HR practice. He is responsible for building and leading research teams within the practice to address clients’ key initiatives. Before his current role, he spent over 25 years at Gartner leading research teams focused on banking and financial services strategy, producing numerous studies that addressed business strategy, channels, marketing, customer experience and product challenges. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from St. Olaf College; a master’s degree in international politics from Aberystwyth University (formerly known as the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth); and a master’s degree and a doctorate in political science from Brown University.