PepsiCo has appointed a new lead lawyer in the same week that rival The Coca-Cola Co called for more diversity in the legal profession.

David Flavell was yesterday named PepsiCo’s next general counsel, replacing Dave Yawman, who is leaving the group after 22 years at the company. Flavell starts in his new role on 1 March.

Flavell is PepsiCo’s current deputy general counsel & chief compliance & ethics officer. Since joining the company in 2011, he has served in various senior legal roles including as general counsel for Frito-Lay North America as well as for the Asia, Middle East & Africa and Latin America business units. 

Commenting on Flavell’s appointment, CEO Ramon Laguarta described him as the “ideal person to take over this important role”.

“He has demonstrated a firm commitment to upholding and modelling the values we stand for as a company, and I look forward to working with him even more closely in the years ahead to make PepsiCo a faster, stronger, better company,” Laguarta added.

Yesterday, Coca-Cola general counsel Bradley Gayton, who was appointed in September last year, called on US legal firms to address a lack of black and ethnic minority lawyers in the industry. Gayton unveiled a new commitment from Coca-Cola to only work with legal firms with transparent and inclusive staffing policies. Any law teams that work with Coca-Cola must have a minimum number of black and ethnic minority associates.

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