Zein Abdalla

Former President of PepsiCo

Zein Abdalla brings to Cognizant’s Board of Directors decades of experience having led and shaped large-scale operations across the world as President and a manager of key divisions of PepsiCo.

Key skills and qualifications:

International business development
Operations management
Public company governance
Public company leadership

Relevant experience:

Zein was elected to Cognizant’s Board in September 2015. Previously, from 2012 through his retirement in 2014, he was the President of PepsiCo, a leading global food, snack and beverage company. Before that, Zein served as CEO of PepsiCo’s Europe division starting in 2009, and as President of PepsiCo Europe beginning in 2006. He previously held a variety of senior positions at PepsiCo since joining the company in 1995, including General Manager of PepsiCo’s European Beverage Business, General Manager of Tropicana Europe and Franchise Vice President for Pakistan and the Gulf Region.

Zein is a board advisor to Mars, Incorporated, a global pet care, confectionery and food company; Chair of the board of directors of the Mastercard Foundation, a private foundation; a member of the board of directors of Kuwait Food Company, an operator of restaurants and food brands in the Middle East; and a member of the advisory board of the Imperial College Business School. He previously served on the board of directors of The TJX Companies, Inc., an apparel and home fashions retailer, from 2012 to 2022.

Zein holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Imperial College, London University.