After nearly 13 years leading PepsiCo design, its first chief design officer—Mauro Porcini—is departing the company. (Previous to PepsiCo, he was the first designer named to a chief design officer role at 3M.)
Under Porcini, design at the PepsiCo family of brands has seen a significant glow up. He arrived shortly after 2008’s disastrous Pepsi rebrand during the era of flat design. And he spent the next decade investing in more internal talent—successfully arguing that the approach would actually save the company money while offering stronger creative autonomy. Porcini opened a flagship design center in NYC in 2012, then following its success, he added 18 more across the world, creating a team that swelled to 400 designers globally. Pepsi’s revenue has grown 40% over that time, while its stock has tripled.
Porcini is leaving on two particular high notes—a well received black and blue Pepsi rebrand launched in 2023, and a new Mountain Dew that embraced its Appalachian roots last year. He also published the business memoir The Human Side of Innovation: The Power of People in Love with People, in 2022.
Porcini’s next move is still unknown. Meanwhile, a PepsiCo spokesperson says the team will “continue to thrive and evolve” under VP of Design Richard Bates during this transition. When asked if the company intends to hire a new chief design officer, they said, “no plans for the future have been set yet.”
