# Jason McDonell

> Jason McDonell is the CEO and a director of Leslie’s, appointed in September 2024 after senior roles at Advance Auto Parts and a 21-year PepsiCo career. His work spans Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl campaign, Canadian food-business leadership, merchandising and e-commerce. He is leading Leslie’s during the Chapter 11 restructuring announced in September 2026.

- **Role:** Chief Executive Officer and Director at Leslie’s
- **Organizations:** Leslie’s, Advance Auto Parts, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Wilfrid Laurier University (alumnus; former CEO in Residence)
- **Nationality:** American (U.S. citizenship publicly announced on LinkedIn)
- **Education:** Honours Bachelor of Business Administration, Wilfrid Laurier University, YPO Presidents’ Program (executive education), Harvard Business School Executive Education
- **Known for:** Helped develop Munchies Snack Mix., Helped lead the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl campaign, which became a ten-year global program., Led PepsiCo Foods Canada, a $2.5 billion business encompassing Frito-Lay and Quaker.

## Career timeline

- **Before PepsiCo** — Began his career in brand management at Procter & Gamble.
- **2006-2007** — Helped lead Doritos’ Crash the Super Bowl consumer-created advertising campaign.
- **2011** — Returned to Canada as chief marketing officer of PepsiCo Foods Canada.
- **2013** — Moved into an Ontario field-sales leadership assignment.
- **2015-2019** — President and General Manager of PepsiCo Foods Canada.
- **2017-2018** — CEO in Residence at Laurier’s Lazaridis School.
- **2019** — Joined Advance Auto Parts as EVP and CMO effective July 29.
- **2021** — Advance remit expanded to EVP, Merchandising, Marketing and e-Commerce.
- **2024** — Became Leslie’s CEO and board member effective September 9.
- **2026** — Led Leslie’s during the restructuring announced September 30.

## Achievements

- Helped develop Munchies Snack Mix.
- Helped lead the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl campaign, which became a ten-year global program.
- Led PepsiCo Foods Canada, a $2.5 billion business encompassing Frito-Lay and Quaker.
- Received Laurier’s J. Alex Murray Award in 2018.
- Held merchandising, marketing and e-commerce leadership responsibility at Advance Auto Parts.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Leslie’s announced a prearranged Chapter 11 process, an agreement targeting approximately 90% debt elimination and $150 million of new capital, and 76 store closures.
- **2026-08** — Leslie’s reported third-quarter sales of $458.5 million, down 8.4%, withdrew its full-year outlook and disclosed exploration of strategic alternatives.
- **2026-05** — Leslie’s reported second-quarter sales growth of 4.3% and comparable-sales growth of 6.6%.

## Links

- Website: https://ir.lesliespool.com/company-information/management-team
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonbmcdonell

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/jason-mcdonell
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-22