The new head of PepsiCo's wholesale operation in the UK is gearing up to boost sales of impulse lines through wholesalers.

Kieran South has been promoted to the role of wholesale customer management director for UK & Ireland and will lead a team of 23 representatives across the UK and Ireland.

He has spent 10 years at PepsiCo. Among his previous roles were grocery sales controller for Ireland, head of Walkers' business with Sainsbury's and head of the Tropicana and Quaker business with Tesco.

The company was twice awarded the number one spot in the Advantage Group grocery survey while he was at the helm of the Sainsbury's and Tesco accounts. This year he joined PepsiCo's Ring of Honour, an accolade given to just 750 employees among the company's 300,000-strong global workforce. "Kieran is already setting plans in motion to work with customers to help both the UK and Ireland businesses thrive," said impulse sales director Jon Kyle.

South said he aimed to help wholesalers maximise sales of impulse products by focusing on bestselling lines such as the four core Walkers flavours and educating retailers about on-the-go and meal-deal opportunities. "My team and I will help wholesalers accelerate their impulse sales by equipping them with the tools and knowledge they need to offer retailers a winning proposition," he added.