Athina Kanioura, Vice President of PepsiCo, at the Basque Country Technology Park: ‘AI is not going to destroy jobs, but it is key to design the workforce of the future now’

The central building of Campus Vitoria-Gasteiz today hosted a keynote speech by Dr. Athina Kanioura, Head of Strategy and Transformation and Vice President of PepsiCo worldwide, on digital talent, innovation and female leadership.

An international reference in the STEM field, Dr. Kanioura was received by the Basque Government Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability, Mikel Jauregi, with whom she shared PepsiCo’s commitment to the region and the company’s vision and achievements.

The central building of the Basque Country Parque Technology Park in Campus Vitoria-Gasteiz has hosted this afternoon a keynote speech by Dr. Athina Kanioura, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer worldwide of the company PepsiCo, in which she stressed that ‘Artificial Intelligence will not destroy jobs, but it is necessary to design the workforce of the future and truly believe in technology’.

Dr. Kanioura, an international reference in the STEM field, is visiting the Basque Country to visit PepsiCo’s new facilities at the Vitoria-Gasteiz Campus of the Euskadi Technology Park, where the company has installed part of its Global Digital Hub. In this context, and given the proximity to the celebration of Women’s Day-8M, the Euskadi Technology Park has promoted the celebration of this day, which was attended by nearly 80 representatives of Parke companies.

In the first part of the talk, Dr. Kanioura presented the main arguments regarding the promotion, attraction and retention of female talent, especially in the digital field. ‘The ecosystem that we find in the Basque Country, boosted by environments such as the Euskadi Technology Park and the close links with universities such as the UPV/EHU and Mondragón Unibertsitatea, allows us to make our technological approach known and offer opportunities to talent,’ she said.

The PepsiCo vice-president also pointed out that ‘at PepsiCo we have put AI and data analysis at the heart of our activity, as AI is revolutionising the operations of a complex, consumer-oriented company’. Kanioura said: ‘Having this fully connected ecosystem is a competitive advantage that is further enhanced by technology customised specifically for PepsiCo.

This was followed by a wide-ranging question and answer session in which some of the issues that most concern companies, such as the fear of the impact of AI on employment, were raised. ‘AI is not going to destroy jobs but it is key to design the workforce of the future,’ said Athina Kanioura.

Athina Kanioura was received by the Minister of Industry, Energy Transition and Sustainability of the Basque Government, Mikel Jauregi. They discussed the implementation of part of PepsiCo’s Global Strategy and Transformation Hub in Campus Vitoria-Gasteiz and the benefits of Artificial Intelligence in the transformation of its business model.

It should be noted that the Vitoria-Gasteiz Strategy and Transformation Hub, with more than 100 professionals, is a key part of PepsiCo’s digital ecosystem, focused on digital capabilities and digital transformation ‘which differentiates us from our local competitors, taking into account that AI enables human connections and facilitates the experience between our professionals and the people in the field of agriculture with whom we work’, said the PepsiCo vice-president.

Career Path

Dr. Athina Kanioura is Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer. An innovator and transformation leader, Kanioura oversees PepsiCo’s comprehensive strategy to ensure success both at the corporate level and in key markets, including digitalization strategy. She also leads the company’s global transformation, ensuring PepsiCo’s size and scope are leveraged to accelerate growth, in addition to overseeing the areas of Data Products, Platforms and Talent.

Dr. Kanioura is also a Fellow of the Royal Statistical and Economics Society, where she contributes to the formulation of government policy on the use of data in bodies such as the IMF. She is also on the board of the Institute of Marketing Science and is a passionate educator who has taught at UMIST (UK), Imperial College London (UK) and the University of Sheffield (UK), where she also earned her PhD in Econometrics and Quantitative Economics.

PepsiCo is one of the world’s leading food and beverage companies, with 320,000 employees and operations in more than 200 countries. Founded in 1965, the company stands out for its innovation and adaptation to market trends, such as the demand for healthier and more sustainable options. In addition, PepsiCo maintains a strong commitment to sustainability and social responsibility, making it an important player not only in the global economy, but also in promoting responsible and sustainable business practices.