PepsiCo MEA President, Omar Farid has been awarded CEO of the Year - Consumer Goods at the CEO Middle East Awards 2014 for his contribution to growing the brand across the Middle East.

Farid, a PepsiCo veteran who has served with the company for more than three decades, received the award at a glittering ceremony at Dubais Jumeirah Emirates Towers Hotel.

Editor of CEO Middle East, Neil King, said: Omar Farid has played an integral role in the PepsiCo business here in the region since his appointment as MEA President last year, not just in terms of growing the business but also contributing towards new regional product innovations.

The CEO Middle East awards demonstrate the high quality of leadership here in the Middle East and I look forward to seeing how the business community will shape the economy over the next 12 months, he added.

Farid, who was appointed MEA President in 2013, began his PepsiCo career as a senior field representative in Egypt in 1983. Over the last 30 years, he has held a number of senior leadership PepsiCo positons including General Manager, Saudi Snacks Foods Limited and General Manager for PepsiCo East Mediterranean and North Africa. In addition to strategic planning and oversight responsibilities, Farid is in charge of all business units and plans to achieve PepsiCos objectives in the region.

PepsiCos portfolio now stands for more 22 brands that generate more than $1 billion each in estimated annual retail sales. In the Middle East, its brand portfolio comprises well-known brands such as Pepsi, 7Up, Mirinda, Mountain Dew, Lays, Doritos and Cheetos, as well as Quaker and Aquafina.