(Yicai Global) June 4 -- PepsiCo has appointed Chen Wenyuan, former president of Walmart China, as chief executive of its Asia Pacific business.

He will take office in Singapore on June 15 and oversee PepsiCo’s operations in the APAC region, Australia, New Zealand and China, The Paper cited the firm as saying yesterday. He will report to PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta.

Chen was president and CEO of Walmart China before accepting the position at PepsiCo. He overseas Walmart hypermarkets, Sam’s Club and e-commerce with over 100,000 employees under his wing. He helped the American retail giant undergo a major transformation to become a leader in omni-channel innovation and digital retail.

Chen has spent his career advancing reform-based innovation and has acquired insights into the diversified consumer base in the Asia-Pacific region through experience in retail, catering and consulting, Laguarta said. PepsiCo has been accelerating development in these key sectors and Chen will be vital in localizing the company while leveraging its scale, he added.

Ram Krishnan, Chen’s predecessor, will commit full time to being global chief commercial officer, a role he filled concurrently with the APAC head position.

Editor: James Boynton