PepsiCo Türkiye names 2 senior marketing directors, what can FMCG brands learn from it?

Which two marketing appointments did PepsiCo Türkiye make?

It appointed two senior directors. Görkem Önal takes the lead in food marketing and Mine Mavi Arıkan in beverage marketing. The company presents them as appointments made “within the scope of a new organisational structure” (Perakende.org; Foreks, 28 September 2026). The statement does not say which brands they will oversee or whom they replace.

What experience do Görkem Önal and Mine Mavi Arıkan bring to PepsiCo Türkiye?

Both bring category experience from other consumer goods companies. Önal has more than 25 years of experience and Arıkan more than 15 years in marketing. Önal first joined PepsiCo in 2001 and now returns after roles elsewhere, while Arıkan began at Unilever in 2009 (Perakende.org).

When does a category-based marketing team like PepsiCo Türkiye’s make sense for a brand?

It makes sense when categories differ in customer, buying moment and competitor. One person running both snacks and drinks has to speak the language of two shelves, two price battles and two seasons at once. A category owner focuses that language on a single category.

A representative scene: one producer running two shelves

This scene is representative, not a real company. Picture a family producer on the Aegean coast whose olive oil and jam come from the same team and the same campaign calendar. In the morning a supermarket chain buyer asks about the olive oil shelf. In the afternoon a café chain asks for jam samples, and by evening the owner sees that both products have half-finished plans.

The turning point: one owner for each category

In the same scene, the owner makes a decision: jam gets its own person in charge, and olive oil stays with the owner. The team does not grow; ownership becomes clear. Now each category has its own calendar, its own shelf and its own way of talking to customers.

Who does PepsiCo Türkiye’s category-based marketing decision affect, and how?

It affects three groups in different ways. For multi-category food and drink producers, it sets a precedent. On the supermarket chain and wholesaler side, the number of people a category buyer deals with may grow. Agencies and suppliers rebuild their workflow around a new person giving the brief, although how this works at PepsiCo specifically has not been disclosed.

The multi-category local producer: gains a precedent

A local producer with products on two different shelves, such as snacks and drinks or cleaning and personal care, can scale this model down. Naming a category owner within the current team, without opening a new role, is the first step.

The supermarket buyer: gets a clearer counterpart

If the producer has a category owner too, conversations about shelf share and SKUs speak the same language. When a product is just sitting on the shelf, that person is the first to notice.

Agencies and suppliers: rebuild the brief flow

When categories separate, the brief going to the agency splits too. One campaign calendar becomes two, with two approval lines. For an agency or supplier, that means planning the workflow category by category.

What should a brand owner change on the digital side of category marketing, following PepsiCo Türkiye?

Online, a category split shows up in three places: the website’s page structure, the campaign setup in search and ad accounts, and data reports. If categories are split in the field but lumped together online, you cannot see which shelf is growing and which one is not ringing the till.

Category pages on the website should stand apart

Separate category pages for different product families, such as food and drinks, give each its own visibility in search. Each page needs its own title, description and product list. A single page with mixed products pushes none of them forward in search.

The ad account should be built by category

In search and social ads, a separate campaign for each category shows where the budget goes. If the budget sits in one campaign, the strong category eats the weak one’s share. Each category owner should see the results of their own budget.

Each category owner should get their own report

Split sales, average basket and repeat purchase data by category. Send each category owner their own report. A shared report belongs to everyone, which means it belongs to no one.

What should a multi-category brand owner do this week after the PepsiCo Türkiye news?

This week, sort your products into category families and write a name next to each one. Make clear on a single page who owns which category. Setting ownership before growing the team is the cheapest and fastest way to start a category-based structure.

Draw your category map

Group all your products by the customer’s buying moment. Products sold on the same shelf, in the same season, to the same customer form one family. The number of families tells you how many category owners you need.

Make reading appointment news a habit

Appointments at large companies give early signals about where a sector is heading. We look at how to read a board change through the Teknosa board chair appointment, and at growth structure through Jimmy Key’s franchise expansion abroad.

Tie each category’s voice to the brand umbrella

Categories can speak separately while the brand keeps one voice. We help businesses connect category messages to a shared brand umbrella through our brand consultancy service. We cover the full retail agenda on our retail page.

If your products sit on different shelves, ask yourself this week whether every shelf has an owner.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources: Perakende.org, “PepsiCo Türkiye pazarlama organizasyonunda üst düzey atamalar” (Senior appointments in PepsiCo Türkiye’s marketing organisation), 28 September 2026 · Foreks, company statement, 28 September 2026 · Marketing Türkiye, February 2025 appointments roundup · PepsiCo Türkiye corporate website (linked in the text).

Updated: October 2026