CDW and PepsiCo Leaders

CAHRS welcomes Kate Sanderson, Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), CDW (pictured left); and Becky Schmitt, Chief People Officer (CPO), PepsiCo (pictured right) to its Advisory Board. Kate began her HR career after graduating from Cornell’s ILR School Masters program in 2000. Becky’s 25+ years in HR started upon her graduation from University of Michigan.  

"The Advisory Board is a long-standing and very important component of CAHRS," says Brad Bell, CAHRS Academic Advisory and William J. Conaty Professor of Strategic Human Resources.The CHROs that are members of the CAHRS Advisory Board are recognized thought leaders in the field and play an instrumental role in shaping the strategy and operations of CAHRS to ensure that we consistently meet the needs our members.  Becky and Kate are terrific additions to the Board.  Both have experience leading HR across different firms and industries and are helping to lead their firms through significant transformation.  We look forward to partnering with them in the years ahead to advance the CAHRS mission." 

Kate is an experienced Public Company CHRO and Board Member, with deep global experience in scaling the HR function, corporate transactions/M&A, business transformation, succession planning and executive compensation. She also serves as a member of the Board of Trustees at SelectHealth, a $4B Health Plan with over 1M members.

Prior to joining CDW, Kate spent five+ years as Chief HR Officer leading a successful global HR Transformation at R1 RCM. Kate and her team scaled and modernized the HR function as the company grew from 5,000 to over 35,000 employees during her tenure.

Prior to joining R1 in 2018, Kate spent 15 years in various HR leadership roles at Aon. In her last role at Aon Kate was responsible for a broad mandate relating to HR strategy and delivery including Total Rewards and HR Shared Service. Kate has held global roles overseeing teams and clients in Eastern and Western Europe and Asia/India in addition to North America. Prior to joining Aon in 2003, she worked at CIGNA where she was a graduate of the HR Leadership Program. 

Kate holds a Master of Industrial and Labor Relations (MILR) degree from Cornell University. Kate resides in Salt Lake City, UT and enjoys distance running, having completed three marathons.

Becky is a seasoned global HR executive, currently advancing PepsiCo's mission to attract top talent and future-proof its workforce. Since joining PepsiCo in 2023, Becky has spearheaded numerous initiatives that underscore her commitment to people management excellence.

Before PepsiCo, she was the CPO at Cognizant, where she honed her skills in managing a diverse, multinational workforce. Her tenure at Cognizant followed impressive stints at Walmart, where as Senior Vice President and CPO of Sam’s Club, she championed the career development of 100,000 associates across nearly 600 locations. Additionally, as CPO for Walmart’s U.S. eCommerce and Corporate Functions, she supported an extensive employee base of over 40,000 across 13 markets.

Becky’s career is further distinguished by her 21 years at Accenture, during which she held numerous senior HR roles globally. Notably, she led a transformative HR strategy in India, supporting the company's growth from 45,000 to more than 70,000 employees.

Becky holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She serves on the Board of Tropicana Brands Group and the PepsiCo Foundation, further contributing to her industry expertise and leadership

Based in Purchase, N.Y., Becky continues to influence the HR landscape with her strategic vision and dedication.

Becky and Kate join the following CAHRS Advisory Board members:

• Brad Bell, ILR William J. Conaty Professor of Strategic Human Resources and CAHRS Academic Director
• Diane Burton, ILR Joseph R. Rich ’80 Professor, ICS Director and Senior Associate Dean for Research, Outreach, and External Relations
• Heidi Capozzi, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, CVS Health
• Jennifer Christie, Chief People Officer, Docusign
• Christopher Collins, ILR Professor and Graduate Programs Director
• Elizabeth Flynn-Ferry, CAHRS Executive Director
• Ashley Goldsmith, Chief People Officer, Workday
• Kim Hauer, Executive Vice President and Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, SC Johnson
• John Hausknecht, ILR Professor 
• Rebecca Kehoe, ILR Professor
• JR Keller, ILR Associate Professor and Executive Master of Human Resource Management Director 
• Nickle LaMoreaux, Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer; CAHRS Advisory Board Chair, IBM
• Abbe Luersman, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Walgreens
• Sally Massey, Chief Human Resources Officer, Colgate-Palmolive
• Christine Pambianchi, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer, Caterpillar
• Bala Purushothaman, Chief Human Resources Officer, Procter & Gamble
• Cindy Ryan, Head of Human Resources, MassMutual
• Chris Scalia, Executive Vice President & CHRO, Johnson Controls
• Rachel Solway, Chief Human Resources Officer and Corporate Officer, Shell 
• Marlon Sullivan, Chief Human Resources Officer and Vice President, Communications, Marathon Petroleum