The Zone Sales Director is a pivotal role within PepsiCo Foods North America (PFNA). Each Zone Sales Director is responsible for leading a multimillion-dollar division within PFNA that has over 200 team members and bridges the line between frontline workers and leadership.
To make sure that ideal candidates are filling these roles, PFNA created the Zone Sales Leader Designate (ZSLD) program. It’s a unique opportunity within the company that recruits outstanding midcareer sales professionals from a variety of fields.
Each Designate receives several months of paid training to get a full 360-degree understanding of the role and a ground-level introduction to the types of employees they’ll lead. The program also offers mentorship, community support, career coaching and a fast track to leadership roles within PepsiCo.
Meet two current Zone Sales Directors who came from very different backgrounds, but were both recruited to be Designates. Find out what they learned as they took on this exciting challenge.
“I thought the military had a lock on leadership.”
Kevin Berry
Zone Sales Director, Washington, D.C.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be an Army helicopter pilot just like my dad. At one point, we actually lived on what’s called the “flight line,” so I could see my dad get into his helicopter and he would wave at me as he flew off.
And I got to live my dream. I went to West Point, and I flew Apache helicopters. But growing up as an Army kid and being a part of the military taught me a lot.