Keurig Dr Pepper Finds Its New Chief Strategist

Keurig Dr Pepper (KDP) has announced Justin Whitmore will join the company as its new Chief Strategy Officer. Whitmore, who steps into the new role on March 1, will be a member of the beverage giant’s executive leadership team and report directly to Chairman and CEO Bob Gamgort.

As KDP’s top strategist, Whitmore will oversee a wide range of enterprise strategy work, including mergers and acquisitions, and corporate partnerships.

In a press release, Gamgort called Whitmore “an exceptional addition to the KDP leadership team” and praised him as an executive who “drives innovative strategies, champions consumer insights and delivers transformative results.”

Whitmore joins KDP from Tyson Foods, where most recently served as EVP of Alternative Protein after a stint as the company's EVP and Chief Strategy & Sustainability Officer. At Tyson, Whitmore was a central figure in the company's global growth, value creation, and venture capital strategy. The Notre Dame and University of Alabama at Birmingham alum previously spent time as an Associate Partner at McKinsey & Company, where he focused on consumer products, and consulted for Booz & Company, a subsidiary of PwC now known as Strategy&. He also held production management, process engineering, and procurement roles at Johnson Controls.

In 2019, Whitmore was featured on CNN's Risk Takers list. He has also been named one of the Most Influential Blacks in Corporate America by Savoy Magazine and has been featured on the Black Enterprise Magazine's 300 Most Powerful Executives in Corporate America.

The key strategy hire follows a slew of changes the beverage company made in the fall of 2020, including new presidents of its cold beverages and coffee businesses and several expanded operating roles meant to enhance speed-to-market and decision effectiveness.

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