Celsius Holdings, which was tapped by PepsiCo last week to be the company’s “strategic energy lead,” has appointed seasoned marketing executive Rishi Daing as CMO, effective today.
Most recently, Daing served as EVP of the Mark Anthony Group, where he spearheaded the launch of hydration beverage brand Más+ by Messi alongside global soccer star Lionel Messi. At Celsius Holdings, he will oversee marketing strategy across the company’s brand portfolio, aligning brand development, go-to-market execution and digital platforms.
“Rishi is a transformational leader with a proven track record of building and scaling iconic brands,” said Eric Hanson, president and COO of Celsius Holdings, in a statement. “As we continue to drive growth within our total energy portfolio – including Celsius, Alani Nu and Rockstar Energy – his expertise in innovation, data-driven marketing and international expansion will be instrumental in unlocking new growth opportunities.”
In conjunction with Daing’s appointment, Celsius Holdings has established a marketing leadership team that includes Kyle Watson as chief brand officer and JoBeth Fink as chief creative officer. Watson had led marketing at the Boca Raton, Florida-based company since 2019, while Fink joined the company in 2025 through the Alani Nu acquisition.
In a press release, Celsius Holdings CEO John Fieldly said the appointments of Daing, Watson and Fink “reflect our commitment to building a world-class marketing organization capable of scaling our brands from big brands into mega brands.”
The better-for-you energy drink maker has seen explosive growth in recent months, in part fueled by its $1.8 billion acquisition of Alani Nu. In Q2, overall revenue jumped 84% year-over-year ($739.3 million), while net income climbed 25% to $99.9 million.
Comparatively, the energy drink category as a whole experienced 16.3% dollar sales growth in the two-week period ending August 9, according to an analysis of NielsenIQ data by Goldman Sachs Equity Research. Category leader Monster Energy underperformed, with sales increasing just 9.3%.
Celsius Holdings has benefited from its flourishing partnership with PepsiCo, which recently deepened its stake to 11% through $585 million in newly issued convertible 5% preferred stock. The conglomerate plans to nominate an additional director to Celsius Holdings’ board of directors.
“Stepping into the role of PepsiCo’s strategic energy drink captain in the U.S. is expected to be a pivotal milestone in our journey to shape the future of modern energy and grow our brands within a leading beverage distribution system,” said Fieldly in a prepared statement.