The earthly journey of former DreamWorks Animation chairman Roger Enrico has ended as he passed away on 1 June, 2016. He was 71.
Enrico joined DWA in 2001 and served until 2012. He became DWA’s board chairman in 2004, the year the studio behind Shrek, Penguins of Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda went public, and he left in 2012, replaced by Mellody Hobson.
Prior to DWA, Enrico was the CEO of PepsiCo from 1996-2001. He was known for his profound marketing efforts at Pepsi to take on Coca-Cola during his tenure. He managed to enlist pop stars including Michael Jackson, Madonna and Lionel Ritchie to promote Pepsi as ‘the Choice of a New Generation’.
Born on November 11, 1944 to Italian immigrants, Enrico started his business career with General Mills as a brand manager for Wheaties. In the early seventies, he joined PepsiCo and later served as brand manager for Cheetos and Fritos before heading operations in Japan and South America.
DWA, CEO, Jeffrey Katzenberg expressed his grief, “The entire DreamWorks family is deeply saddened by the loss of our former chairman. Roger was a leader in every sense of the word, owning a rare combination of courage, tenacity, compassion and creativity.” He further continued, “His career at PepsiCo is the stuff of legends, and as our chairman he was an invaluable voice during a pivotal time in the growth and evolution of our company. I am eternally grateful for his leadership, his counsel and, most of all, his friendship.”
The official cause of his death is still unknown. Considering his campaign at PepsiCo and DWA, Roger Enrico was undoubtedly a true leader born with leadership qualities.
