BNP Paribas vs PepsiCo: Founders, CEOs and History
BNP Paribas was founded in 2000 by Michel Pébereau, Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim, Laurent-Antoine Pagnerre and is led by Jean-Laurent Bonnafé. PepsiCo was founded in 1965 by Caleb Bradham, Donald M. Kendall, Herman W. Lay and is led by Ramon Laguarta.
Company facts
BNP Paribas
- Founded
- 2000
- Headquarters
- Paris, France
- Current CEO
- Jean-Laurent Bonnafé
- Employees
- 180,000
PepsiCo
- Founded
- 1965
- Headquarters
- Purchase, New York, United States
- Current CEO
- Ramon Laguarta
- Employees
- 306,000
Founders
BNP Paribas
Michel Pébereau
Pébereau became chairman and chief executive of BNP in 1993 and steered its privatisation that October. In 1999, after Société Générale bid for Paribas, he launched BNP's competing offers for both banks.
Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim
Bischoffsheim founded a private bank in Amsterdam in the early 1820s, opened Bischoffsheim, Goldschmidt & Cie in Paris in 1846 and in London in 1860, and in 1863 merged these houses into the Nederlandsche Credit- en Deposito Bank in Amsterdam.
Laurent-Antoine Pagnerre
After the 1847 economic crisis and the February Revolution of 1848 froze credit in Paris, the provisional government created discount banks by decree in March 1848.
PepsiCo
Caleb Bradham
Caleb Bradham created "Brad's Drink" at his New Bern pharmacy in 1898, renamed it Pepsi-Cola and incorporated the Pepsi-Cola Company in 1902.
Donald M. Kendall
Donald M. Kendall led Pepsi-Cola and engineered its 1965 merger with Frito-Lay to form PepsiCo, which he ran as CEO until 1986.
Herman W. Lay
Herman W. Lay (1909-1982) started his career as a snack food salesman. In 1932, he opened a snack food operation in Nashville, Tennessee, eventually purchasing the manufacturer and renaming it H.W. Lay & Company.
CEOs and their tenures
BNP Paribas
- Michel Pébereau2000–2003
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
As the legendary architect of the modern bank, he served as CEO and Chairman for decades, transforming a privatized domestic French bank into a massive global institution.
Source - Baudouin Prot2003–2011
Chief Executive Officer
As CEO, he navigated the bank through the global financial crash without requiring a direct French government bailout, heavily expanding its retail footprint across Italy and Belgium.
Source - Jean-Laurent Bonnafé2011–present
Chief Executive Officer
Bonnafé, a graduate of École Polytechnique and the Corps des mines who joined BNP in 1993, ran BNP Paribas Fortis after the 2009 takeover and became group CEO on 1 December 2011.
Source
PepsiCo
- D. Wayne Calloway1986–1996
Chief Executive Officer
He more than doubled PepsiCo's revenues during his tenure and heavily invested in the restaurant division before it was later spun off.
Source - Roger Enrico1996–2001
Chief Executive Officer
He dramatically simplified the company's structure, allowing it to focus resources on its core grocery and convenience store distribution networks.
Source - Steven Reinemund2001–2006
Chief Executive Officer
He oversaw significant international expansion and revenue growth, setting a strong operational foundation before handing leadership to Nooyi.
Source - Indra Nooyi2006–2018
Chief Executive Officer
Under her 12-year tenure as CEO, PepsiCo's revenue grew by more than 80%, and she fundamentally reshaped the company's identity from a junk-food purveyor to a diversified global food and beverage giant.
Source - Ramon Laguarta2018–present
Chairman of the Board & Chief Executive Officer
He sustained strong organic revenue growth and protected operating margins through historically challenging supply chain conditions, while committing the company to major sustainability and packaging reduction goals.
Source
Timeline: BNP Paribas and PepsiCo side by side
1848BNP Paribas
Comptoir national d'escompte de Paris founded
Created by decree in March 1848 to restart commercial credit after the February Revolution, with capital from private subscribers, the City of Paris and the State. It is the oldest root of the BNP side of the group.
1860BNP Paribas
First overseas branches in Shanghai and Calcutta
The Comptoir opened branches in Shanghai and Calcutta, becoming the first French bank to build a branch network abroad from scratch, later adding Hong Kong, London, San Francisco and Sydney.
1872BNP Paribas
Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas formed
The Banque de Paris, founded in 1869, merged on 27 January 1872 with Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim's Amsterdam-based Nederlandsche Credit- en Deposito Bank to create the investment bank later known as Paribas.
1889BNP Paribas
Comptoir rescued after the copper crash
Losses on industrialist Eugène Secrétan's attempt to corner the copper market forced the Comptoir d'escompte de Paris into liquidation, backed by a 100-million-franc Banque de France advance. It was refounded in June 1889 as a deposit bank.
1898PepsiCo
Pepsi-Cola Invented in North Carolina
Caleb Bradham formulated the original digestive cola syrup in his drugstore.
1965PepsiCo
Historic Merger of Pepsi-Cola & Frito-Lay
Donald Kendall and Herman Lay created PepsiCo, uniting snacks and soft drinks.
1966BNP Paribas
Banque Nationale de Paris created
Finance minister Michel Debré merged the state-owned CNEP and Banque nationale pour le commerce et l'industrie (BNCI) to form Banque Nationale de Paris (BNP).
1975PepsiCo
Launch of the Pepsi Challenge
National blind taste tests shook Coca-Cola's market dominance and redefined advertising.
1982BNP Paribas
Paribas nationalised
The Mauroy government nationalised Paribas, which adopted its telegraph address, Paribas, as its brand that year.
1987BNP Paribas
Paribas privatised
The Chirac government returned Paribas to private ownership in January 1987.
1993BNP Paribas
BNP privatised
BNP was privatised in October 1993 under chairman Michel Pébereau.
1997PepsiCo
Restaurant Business Spun Off
PepsiCo spun off its restaurant businesses (Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC) as Tricon Global Restaurants, now Yum! Brands, in 1997.
1998PepsiCo
Acquisition of Tropicana ($3.3B)
Acquired chilled orange juice leader Tropicana to dominate morning beverages.
1999BNP Paribas
Three-way takeover battle
Société Générale bid for Paribas, and BNP answered with offers for both banks. BNP won control of Paribas but failed to take Société Générale.
2000BNP Paribas
BNP Paribas created
The merger of BNP and Paribas was completed in May 2000, combining BNP's retail network with Paribas's investment banking.
2001BNP Paribas
Full ownership of BancWest
BNP Paribas agreed to buy the 55% of BancWest, parent of Bank of the West and First Hawaiian Bank, that it did not already own for about $2.45 billion. The Federal Reserve approved the deal on 4 December 2001.
2001PepsiCo
Acquisition of Quaker Oats & Gatorade ($13.4B)
Acquired Quaker Oats, adding sports hydration pioneer Gatorade to the portfolio.
2006BNP Paribas
BNL acquired in Italy
BNP Paribas bought Banca Nazionale del Lavoro, making Italy its second domestic retail market.
2006PepsiCo
Indra Nooyi becomes CEO
Indra Nooyi became CEO of PepsiCo in 2006. Chief executive of PepsiCo from 2006 to 2018.
2009BNP Paribas
Fortis Bank acquired in Belgium
In May 2009 BNP Paribas took control of Fortis Bank, now BNP Paribas Fortis, paying with new shares issued to the Belgian state and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It also bought 25% of AG Insurance for ~$1.55 billion (€1.375 billion).
2011PepsiCo
Wimm-Bill-Dann Acquired
PepsiCo completed its acquisition of the Russian dairy and juice company Wimm-Bill-Dann in 2011.
2014BNP Paribas
US sanctions guilty plea
BNP Paribas pleaded guilty in New York and agreed to pay about $8.9 billion for processing dollar transactions for Sudan, Iran and Cuba in breach of US sanctions.
2018PepsiCo
Acquisition of SodaStream ($3.2B) & Ramon Laguarta Appointed CEO
Acquired SodaStream to pioneer eco-friendly dispensing; Ramon Laguarta took over as CEO.
2022PepsiCo
Strategic Distribution Alliance with Celsius ($550M)
Secured master global distribution for fast-growing energy brand Celsius.
2023BNP Paribas
Bank of the West sold to BMO
BNP Paribas completed the $16.3 billion cash sale of Bank of the West to BMO Financial Group on 1 February 2023, leaving US retail banking.
2025BNP Paribas
AXA Investment Managers acquired
BNP Paribas Cardif completed the ~$5.76 billion (€5.1 billion) purchase of AXA IM on 1 July 2025 and signed a long-term partnership to manage a large part of AXA's assets.
2025BNP Paribas
Sudan jury verdict
A Manhattan federal jury found BNP Paribas liable to three Sudanese refugees in October 2025 and awarded $20.75 million. The bank is appealing.
2025PepsiCo
poppi Acquisition and Elliott-Backed Plan
Closed the $1.95 billion poppi deal and announced a North America cost and pricing reset in December.
2026BNP Paribas
Ageas partnership reset
On 28 April 2026 BNP Paribas Fortis sold its 25% of AG Insurance to Ageas for ~$2.15 billion (€1.9 billion) and renewed their Belgian bancassurance partnership, while Cardif raised its Ageas stake to 22.5%.
2026BNP Paribas
Arval completes Athlon purchase
Arval completed its purchase of Athlon from Mercedes-Benz Group on 31 July 2026, reaching a combined fleet of 2.3 million vehicles.
2026PepsiCo
Price Cuts on Core Snacks
Lowered prices on major Frito-Lay brands by up to 15% to recover US volumes.
Acquisitions
BNP Paribas
- Athlon2026Undisclosed
- Additional stake in Ageas2026~$1.2B
- AXA Investment Managers2025~$5.8B
- Nickel (Compte-Nickel)2017Undisclosed
- Fortis Bank (now BNP Paribas Fortis)2009Undisclosed
- Banca Nazionale del Lavoro (BNL)2006~$10.2B
PepsiCo
- poppi2025$1.9B
- SodaStream International2018$3.2B
- The Quaker Oats Company (including Gatorade)2001$13.4B
- Tropicana Products1998$3.3B
Questions about BNP Paribas vs PepsiCo
Who is the CEO of BNP Paribas SA and PepsiCo, Inc.?
BNP Paribas SA is led by Jean-Laurent Bonnafé and PepsiCo, Inc. is led by Ramon Laguarta. Both serve as the top executive responsible for the company's strategy, operations, and financial performance.
When was BNP Paribas SA founded vs PepsiCo, Inc.?
PepsiCo, Inc. was founded in 1965 — 35 years before BNP Paribas SA, which was founded in 2000. PepsiCo, Inc.'s longer operating history gives it a deeper track record but also potentially more institutional inertia compared to the younger BNP Paribas SA.
How many employees does BNP Paribas SA have compared to PepsiCo, Inc.?
BNP Paribas SA employs approximately 180,000 people, while PepsiCo, Inc. employs approximately 306,000. PepsiCo, Inc. has the larger workforce at 306,000 employees, compared to BNP Paribas SA's 180,000. A higher headcount does not necessarily imply greater efficiency — it often reflects differences in business model (e.g., manufacturing vs. software).
Where are BNP Paribas SA and PepsiCo, Inc. headquartered?
BNP Paribas SA is headquartered in France and PepsiCo, Inc. is headquartered in United States. Their different home markets mean they may face different regulatory frameworks, tax regimes, and currency exposure.
Who founded BNP Paribas SA and PepsiCo, Inc.?
BNP Paribas SA was founded by Michel Pébereau, Louis-Raphaël Bischoffsheim, Laurent-Antoine Pagnerre. PepsiCo, Inc. was founded by Caleb Bradham, Donald M. Kendall, Herman W. Lay.
Which company has a longer operating history — BNP Paribas SA or PepsiCo, Inc.?
PepsiCo, Inc. has been operating for approximately 61 years, making it the more established of the two companies. BNP Paribas SA has been in operation for around 26 years. A longer operating history often signals greater institutional resilience and brand recognition, though it can also mean slower adaptation to new market conditions.
Figures come from each company's filings and the sources linked beside them. Amounts reported in another currency are shown in US dollars at an approximate rate and marked with ~. Back to the BNP Paribas vs PepsiCo overview