Never one to accept the status quo as the limit for what’s possible, Derek Daniels uses a combination of skills he’s gained across career experiences in education, government, music, and marketing to create new value for everyday people as a Senior Global Marketing Innovation Manager at PepsiCo. In this role within the Global Snacks Group’s ‘Better for You’ Transformational Innovation Team, he manages the global brand development and innovation agenda for Off the Eaten Path, an all-natural plant-based snack brand with a current presence in the United States and the United Kingdom – and growing!
Since joining PepsiCo in the summer of 2013, Derek has led projects across six continents and on five of PepsiCo’s billion dollar brands, including the initial global rollout of Mountain Dew’s Kickstart, the launch of a solar-powered vending program in 5 countries, the new product innovation strategy and pipeline development for Sting Energy Drink in Asia Pacific markets, and the creation of a proprietary Artificial Intelligence-enabled social media tool to help validate new product innovations.
Prior to joining PepsiCo, Derek fed his passion for mentoring and motivating young people from similar backgrounds as a public school teacher in the South Bronx of New York City, located within the poorest congressional district in the United States. During a four-year period he taught Algebra, coached two future professional basketball players, and delighted his students with scratch-and-sniff stickers after tests well done.
Great at remembering faces and conversational details years after an initial encounter, Derek spends his time outside of work people-watching behind a Nikon camera, producing music, playing basketball, and convincing all who will listen that 90s R&B and Hip Hop are the greatest music era and genres, respectively, of all time.
