Designing for Emotion. Leading with Purpose. Scaling through Innovation.

Thaldev is an award-winning design leader, brand strategist, and innovation thinker whose journey began not in a classroom—but on the streets of Delhi, navigating the worlds of advertising, art, and self-taught creativity. With over 15 years of experience across agencies, studios, and global corporations, he currently serves as Associate Director of Design at PepsiCo, shaping some of the most iconic food and beverage brands across India and emerging markets.

What sets Thaldev apart is his vision for design as a cultural force—a way to connect business with meaning, brands with people, and ideas with impact. His creative philosophy, “designed with love and purpose,” guides a growing body of work that blends aesthetics with empathy, and digital innovation with deep cultural resonance.

Journey

From early roles at Publicis, JWT, Dentsu, and BBH India, Thaldev built his reputation working on campaigns for PepsiCo, Nestlé, Axe, Honda, and Maruti Suzuki. His award-winning work during this period ranged from guerrilla health interventions like "Write Off Tumors" to sustainability messaging through campaigns like Tetra Pak’s “Holistic Protection”.

In 2016, he transitioned into entrepreneurship by founding Brandisrupt, a brand consultancy, and co-launching Redrebs, a premium fashion label focused on plus-size inclusivity. Redrebs combined luxurious design with rebellious honesty—earning admiration for its packaging, storytelling, and digital experience.

In 2019, Thaldev joined PepsiCo India as Design Lead for beverages. By 2023, he was promoted to Associate Director, overseeing brand design across Pepsi, Lay’s, 7UP, Mirinda, Mountain Dew and more. His portfolio today includes packaging design, retail innovation, digital storytelling, and AI-enabled creative systems.

Signature Projects

Thaldev’s leadership at PepsiCo has helped bring a string of culturally-rooted, globally-recognized campaigns to life:

7UP Festive Editions
Special packs for Durga Puja, Ramadan, and Pongal that celebrated regional traditions through limited-edition designs — recognized by The Dieline and Kyoorius Awards.

Pepsi Black NFT Collection
PepsiCo’s bold foray into Web3, earning coverage from Forbes India, Binance, and Entrepreneur for reimagining youth culture and digital branding.

Pepsi x Netflix: Money Heist
A high-impact crossover campaign connecting Pepsi with Netflix’s hit series Money Heist. The creative rollout included collectible packs, OOH, digital activations, and a high-energy collaboration with Tiger Shroff.
Recognition: Winner at e4m India Design Excellence Awards, shortlisted at Kyoorius, and celebrated by Campaign India, Brand Equity, and LoveTheWork for its cultural relevance and executional flair.

Lay’s “Drops of Joy”
A Cannes Lions–winning water sustainability campaign featuring animated potato “superheroes” and real factory innovation. Awards include Bronze at Cannes SDG Lions, Grande at AdFest, and Merit at One Asia.

Lay’s “Farm Equal”
A partnership with USAID to empower over 1,200 women farmers in India through gender-inclusive training and tools. It won a Silver Glass Lion at Cannes, 2 Bronze Spikes, and the #1 Global Campaign at SABRE Awards 2024.

Lay’s “My Stamp”
India’s first-ever postage stamp honoring women farmers—created with India Post, applauded across agri and media communities.

“Mitti Ki Chitthi”
A poetic brand film personifying Mother Earth, released alongside PepsiCo’s soil testing centers. Lauded by Adobo Magazine, MediaNews4U, and Campaign India.

Recognition

Thaldev’s work has been recognized with over 90 design and innovation awards, including: PepsiCo Chairman’s Award, Silver Lion – Glass Category – Lay’s Farm Equal, Bronze Lion – SDG – Lay’s Drops of Joy, Multiple Kyoorius, AdFest, Spikes Asia, SABRE, and MarCom Awards.

Philosophy

“Design is not decoration. It’s memory-making.
I believe great design should make people feel something — connected, seen, proud. Especially in a world driven by technology, we must design with empathy, not ego.”

Follow His Work

Thaldev has been featured on:

BRANDS

Over the past 15+ years, Thaldev has shaped design narratives and creative strategy for some of the world’s most iconic and diverse brands — spanning technology, FMCG, spirits, entertainment, and digital-first platforms. He has led or contributed to work across the following:

Global & Legacy Icons
Pepsi · Nestlé · Netflix · Nokia · Hewlett-Packard · AXE · Dulux · Johnnie Walker · Canon · Sony · Magnum · Saint-Gobain

Youth & Culture Brands
7UP · Mountain Dew · Mirinda · Slice · Monster.com · Vat69 · Knock Out · RedRebs · Becks · Haywards · Royal Challenge · Acko · Shine.com

Mobility & Tech
Honda · Idea · Airtel · Vespa

Food & Beverage
Lay’s · Maggi · Tetra Pak · Marico · Max

Media & Platforms
ZEE · Campaign India · YourStory

Each engagement reflects his commitment to infusing global brands with local soul — whether through packaging, storytelling, innovation, or purpose-driven design.