Christopher A. Sinclair

Christopher A. Sinclair
Born Christopher A. Sinclair
September 5, 1950
Hong Kong
Residence Palm Beach, Florida - Greenwich, Connecticut
Nationality USA
Education University of Kansas 1971
Tuck School of Business 1973
Occupation Chairman and CEO, Mattel
Political party
 Republican
Board member of
 Foot Locker, Inc. 1995-2008
Mattel, Inc. 1996-Present
PepsiCo, Inc. 1993-1996
Perdue Farms, Inc. 1994-2000
Reckitt Benckiser 2015-present
Spouse(s) Margaret
Children 3 children

Christopher A. Sinclair (born September 5, 1950, Hong Kong) is an American businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer of Mattel, Inc., the world's largest toy company, and a non-executive director of Reckitt Benckiser. He is the former chairman and CEO of Pepsi-Cola. ()

Background

Sinclair was born in Hong Kong, and spent his childhood in Bombay, India, and was educated at the Kodaikanal International School (). Sinclair's father was president of Esso Oil (now Exxon Mobil)'s international operations. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Kansas with a bachelor's degree in marketing, and he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega. Sinclair went on to receive an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College in 1973.

Business career

Sinclair spent 20 years at PepsiCo. In 1989, at the age of 38, he became CEO of Pepsi International, making him the youngest executive in company history.() Sinclair was promoted in 1993 to run worldwide operations for the $65 billion food and beverage maker.

Sinclair directed Pepsi's entry into the Indian market, and recruited Pepsi's current chief executive officer Indra Nooyi (). As an example of his ambition, Sinclair told Fortune magazine in 1994, "If Coke starts growing 8%, we'll do 10% or 12%." () He predicted non-U.S. cola sales of $5 billion by 1995, and exceeded his goal. Sinclair retired as CEO of Pepsi-Cola and the board of directors in 1996 at the age of 45, due to frequent travel and a desire to spend more time with his family.

Since his tenure at PepsiCo, Sinclair has served as CEO of Quality Food Centers, Inc.() (NYSE), a U.S. west coast supermarket chain backed by billionaire Samuel Zell's Equity Group. After 18-months, Quality Food expanded rapidly and was successfully sold to Fred Meyer, Inc., for $1.3 billion in 1998. Sinclair helped orchestrate the deal and was a large shareholder. Fred Meyer is now owned by The Kroger Co.

More recently, Sinclair led the financial restructuring of Caribiner International, Inc. (now Jack Morton Worldwide) as chairman and CEO of this Warburg Pincus-sponsored global business communications company. Additionally, he has served as a partner at Pegasus Capital Advisors, LP, a private equity firm, and an operating partner at Morgan Joseph TriArtisan, a New York-based merchant bank. He was also the executive chairman and CEO of Cambridge Solutions Ltd. the second largest BPO/IT company in the world, which was successfully sold in 2008 to Xchanging, a General Atlantic-backed business services company.

Sinclair currently serves as the chairman and CEO of Mattel, Inc., and a non-executive director of Reckitt Benckiser plc. He is also a member of the advisory board of The Water Initiative, Inc. Sinclair is a former director of Foot Locker, Inc., F.W. Woolworth Company, Merisant (Equal Sugar), PepsiCo, Inc., and Perdue Farms, Inc. He has served as a trustee at Brunswick School, Vermont Academy, on the board of overseers at the Tuck School of Business, and on the parents' boards at Wake Forest University and Duke University. Sinclair, along with the PepsiCo Foundation has given more than $1 million to Dartmouth College, where he endowed a scholarship and the College named a dining hall in his honor. ()

Personal

Sinclair, and his wife Margaret, reside in Greenwich, Connecticut and Palm Beach, Florida (). Margaret is the former president of the Breast Cancer Alliance. ()

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