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

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.