“I always try to learn something new not only for my own development, but to help build the capability of those around me.” — Mari Roberts, CTP

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MARI ROBERTS, CTP, is the PepsiCo SVP of North American Supply Chain COEs, and board chair of the NPTC Board of Directors. She has worked her entire 26-year career for PepsiCo. She has been promoted numerous times to progressively more responsible positions as manager, director, senior director, vice president, and senior vice president.

Her interest in transportation began in college. She studied supply chain management at Arizona State University where she became fascinated by the logistics and transportation industry. She began her career at the Frito-Lay
Casa Grande plant as network manager, then moved up to traffic department manager.

“Coming out of college, I had an immediate respect for the Frito-Lay drivers, and I wanted to make a difference for them,” she recalled. “The ever-changing environment the transportation industry offers is right up my alley.”

After several years, she joined the Plano HQ Transportation Team as West Division network efficiency manager supporting 11 traffic centers. Later, Roberts was promoted to logistics capability manager developing the National Capability Strategy for Transportation.

In 2009, she decided to pursue her Certified Transportation Professional credential. She attended the Private Fleet Management Institute, gave her first general session speech at an NPTC event, and graduated with the CTP Class of 2009 at the NPTC Annual Conference.

In 2010, she was elected that year to serve as a member of the NPTC Institute Board of Governors and was voted in as the new board chair a few years later.

“When I first got involved, I knew NPTC and the CTP program were exactly the industry connections I needed because they focus on priorities that fleets face,” Roberts said. “At PepsiCo, optimization and continuous improvement are major priorities. This means hauling more products at the least landed cost balancing driver retention, safety, service, and outside carrier capacity.”

Roberts says learning about the optimization experience of other NPTC members helped immensely. “A company of PepsiCo’s size obviously has great resources, but it’s not feasible to discover every innovation on our own,” Roberts said. “I have taken away some amazing ideas from CTP fleet managers from many different industries, some with as few as 20 trucks. The networking power of CTPs is just incredible.”

For 16 years, Roberts has been a faculty member of the Private Fleet Management Institute, served for eight years as chair of the NPTC Institute Board of Governors, and served for five years as Executive Committee member, board secretary, and vice chair. She will soon begin a two-year term as board chair of the NPTC Board of Directors.

Roberts has been a featured speaker, panelist, or workshop moderator at NPTC conferences and online webcasts. During Robert’s active years with NPTC and the CTP program, 44 leaders from PepsiCo have earned their CTP designation, including four who were honored as “Top CTP Graduates” of the year. Many were inspired by her direct encouragement and leadership example.

Nineteen of these successfully completed the Private Fleet Management Institute as a group in 2010, the largest representation ever from a single company. A lot of NPTC members recognize Roberts as one of the greatest champions of CTPs in the program’s 33-year history.

“Being around so many outstanding transportation professionals at every NPTC event exposes us to fresh, innovative, and creative approaches to many of the problems we face every day,” she said.

In 2013, Roberts was recognized for her leadership by being selected as the NPTC Private Fleet Manager of the Year. In 2017, she was honored as the NPTC Private Fleet Executive of the Year.

Beth Mars, CTP, transportation director at PepsiCo, Top CTP Graduate of her CTP Class of 2014, member of the NPTC Institute Board of Governors, protégé of Roberts, and long-standing colleague and friend, stated: “Mari’s infectious enthusiasm and leadership have positively influenced so many people, me included. She is a legendary star in the private fleet industry.”