Photo of Janet M Gibbons, PepsiCo.

This year’s Treasury Today Woman of the Year is Janet M Gibbons, Senior Director, International Treasury – Asia, Middle East and North America at PepsiCo. With a standout CV and a career in treasury spanning over 25 years, Janet is at the very top of the treasury profession.

With a stellar career in corporate treasury and a host of external charitable work completed, Janet Gibbons, Senior Director, International Treasury – Asia, Middle East and North Africa at PepsiCo, without question meets the criteria to be the 2017 Treasury Today Adam Smith Awards Woman of the Year.

With a standout CV and a career in treasury spanning over 25 years, Janet is a woman at the very top of the treasury profession. Janet embraces challenges and her career has been defined by a rapid rise through the ranks and a portfolio of impressive achievements that have been completed on the way.

With a degree in accounting and with a minor in art and art history from Villanova University, Janet’s treasury career began with Avon Products. While at Avon, she pursued her MBA at NYU on nights and weekends. She then joined GE Capital where she was selected to participate in the Experienced Financial Leadership Program. In 2001, she joined the Pepsi Bottling Group and began a solid career with PepsiCo, Inc.

Rising to the top

Janet’s first few roles were in the Financial Planning and Analysis group. Her work in these early years was exemplary and she was awarded the Pepsi Bottling Group “Rules of the Road Award” in the category: Act Now. Do It Today. Get Results. This category neatly summarises her personal approach to her career.

In 2007, Janet moved into the Treasury Group at Pepsi Bottling Group as the Senior Treasury Manager – Capital Markets. Within this role Janet was involved, amongst other things, in managing the capital structure of the company. Working against the challenging backdrop of the global financial crisis, her exceptional achievements were recognised and she was soon promoted to Treasury Director where she was responsible for crafting a strategic vision for the global treasury risk management function. Shortly thereafter, PepsiCo Inc. announced the acquisition of the Pepsi Bottling Group. PepsiCo identified the PBG risk management function as a best practice and implemented the same tools and processes as part of the acquisition integration.

Janet’s vision and entrepreneurial approach earned her a promotion to the Senior Treasury Director of Capital Markets at PepsiCo. She was in this role for five years and acquired significant depth of experience delivering on PepsiCo’s capital structure and debt portfolio strategies. She also worked on many impressive projects in this position, including the successful acquisition integration of Russian dairy company Wimm-Bill-Dann. Additionally, Janet participated in various treasury and Investment peer group forums.

In 2015, Janet moved to Dubai from the US to take up her current position as Senior Director, International Treasury – Asia, Middle East and North Africa. This was a bold move because she accepted the role, in a new country and culture, without ever having been to Dubai previously. In her role, Janet is responsible for the Treasury activities for over 30 emerging market countries across three continents.

Charitable time

Impressively, Janet is both committed to her career and strives to achieve a work/life balance. She is a mother of four children and many close to Janet are amazed at how she balances her time. Beyond her family and her career, Janet also ensures that she gives something back and has been involved in numerous community causes.

Janet served on the committee for Westchester County’s Student Advocacy “Overcoming the Odds” selection board, where she reviewed scholarship applications from students who have faced significant challenges in their lives, but have been able to progress their education against unfavourable odds. Janet comments that “serving on this committee was quite difficult as each student has an amazing story. I really wish that we had the ability to recognise each and every one of them.”

Janet has also been an advocate and mentor for women in business. She served on the Women in Business panel at New York University’s Stern School of Business where she provided career advice and coaching to undergraduate business students. She is also part of the Diversity Inclusion Council at PepsiCo supporting various diversity and mentoring initiatives. In addition, she has provided charitable support to the Connecticut Pop Warner programme.

Finally, Janet has volunteered her treasury skills outside of PepsiCo. She served on the Board of Directors as the Treasurer for Candlewood Knolls Tax District, a private residential community. Her responsibilities spanned budgets, payroll, managing maintenance and project reserves, property tax collections and reporting for the Tax District, Children’s Program and the Community entities. Janet currently serves on the Board of Directors for the American Business Council of Dubai and the Northern Emirates.

Testimonial

Kevin Monaco, SVP, Treasurer and Investor Relations at Coty said:

“I have known Janet professionally and personally for over 20 years since we worked together in the treasury department at Avon Products in New York City. Janet to me is the epitome of a successful business woman, who should be recognised not only for her business success, but for her passion and drive to improve her profession and the inspiration she has provided to others.

“While together at Avon, I knew Janet to possess an unwavering determination to succeed which was evident from her consistent drive to broaden her understanding of the business and finance generally, and Treasury specifically. Janet always raised her hand to assume greater responsibility and in turn was promoted to increasing levels of responsibility and expanded organisational scope. In addition, Janet always would find the time to act as a mentor to the more junior members within the broader finance organisation.

“Her dedication to developing others through mentoring epitomises, I believe, the Adam Smith Woman of the Year Award and the spirit of supporting and inspiring other women.”