Pepsico Launches Its Global Digital Hub In Barcelona

Pepsico confirmed this Tuesday what was already a secret the voices: the location at its headquarters in Cornellà (Barcelona) of its first digital hub worldwide, from where the company’s main global digitization programs will be created and developed, and It plans to employ about 400 people by 2024.

It will also act as an incubator for solutions to stimulate an internal culture change in digitization and data that will help drive long-term innovation, according to the multinational.

“The digital hub will allow Pepsico to drive its digitization agenda, capture new opportunities, introduce changes in the way of working and face common challenges for organizations such as reducing operating costs, improving time to market, accelerating of innovation, developing the customer experience and increasing the efficiency of the organization “says Athina Kanioura, EVP, Chief Strategy & Transformation Officer of Pepsico Global.

Why in Barcelona
Pepsico has chosen Barcelona because it is currently one of the most important hubs in Europe thanks to its ecosystem made up of start-ups, technology centers, ICT companies and universities, as well as its ability to create and retain digital talent.

In addition, the new digital center, which will centralize skills and the development of emerging digital capabilities, such as machine learning and artificial intelligence, will provide Barcelona with sectoral diversification (Food and Beverages), in addition to solid long-term projects.

First incorporations
The company has already started its recruitment process and has focused on finding highly skilled digital profiles such as Data Scientists, Machine Learning Engineers, Data Engineers, Service Designers (Service Designers) and Product Managers. More than 45 people of 15 nationalities have already joined, and 24% are women.

Aware of the gender gap in the ICT sector, the company will use this hub to increase its commitment to female talent and STEM careers, in line with the objective of achieving gender parity in middle management and executives by 2025.

The new center will influence the way of reinventing the planning, manufacturing, distribution and sale of its products. The development of digital initiatives that provide solutions to global business challenges will be prioritized, such as the use of AI (artificial intelligence) and different sources of information to estimate demand for different time horizons, which will allow the company to optimize processes and be much more efficient throughout the value chain.

Institutional support
The First Vice President and Minister of Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation, Nadia Calviño, pointed out that “this is excellent news, which confirms Spain’s role as a pole of attraction for investment and international talent and is aligned with the main agendas promoted by the government, both in the field of digitization and the promotion of disruptive technologies and in that of female participation in STEM studies, one of the most important levers to close the gender gap and achieve a strong and fair recovery “.

El vicepresidente y consejero de Políticas Digitales de la Generalitat de Cataluña, Jordi Puigneró, cree que “la llegada del hub digital mundial de Pepsico confirma el liderazgo de Cataluña en el ámbito tecnológico. Llevamos años trabajando para crear un ecosistema formado por startups, empresas TIC y centros de investigación punteros en Europa que, hoy, Pepsico viene a engrandecer”.

The Deputy Mayor for Economy, Labor, Competitiveness and Finance of the Barcelona City Council, Jaume Collboni, has also expressed his satisfaction with Pepsico’s decision to bet on the city and has stated that for the council “it is key that global corporations become set in Barcelona to accelerate their digital transformation and detect early disruptions that can totally change their business models and work processes. It is one more example of the global relevance of our local ecosystem, which is based on the available digital talent. We congratulate you on being an active agent in Pepsico’s decision and we will help your Global Digital Hub become a great success story. “

In order to diversify talent, part of the hub team will be located in the Basque Country. Likewise, the company also announced today the launch of another hub in the city of Dallas (Texas), focused exclusively on meeting the business needs for North America.