PepsiCo’s former chairman Suman Sinha passed away in New York City on Thursday, according to the company. The company said it was saddened by his death and remembered him as a great leader and an inspiration to everyone he knew.

Sinha was born in India and moved to the United States in the 1970s to pursue higher education at Harvard University. He joined PepsiCo in 1985 and served as CEO from 1995 until 2001 when he stepped down for health reasons. He returned to the role of chairman in 2008.

He was the former chairman of PepsiCo and the founder of the food company. He was responsible for creating the brand name and growing it into what it is today.

He was born in India in 1934 and moved to California when he was 18 years old. After college, he joined PepsiCo as a chemist and rose through the ranks to become CEO in 1984. He retired from his post in 2014 after serving for 37 years with the company.

According to a statement released by PepsiCo, its Chairman and CEO Indra Nooyi has announced the passing of Suman Sinha, PepsiCo’s former chairman, who passed away earlier today. Mr. Sinha was one of the founders of the company in 1965, for which he served as chairman until 1991. He was also president from 1992 to 1995, and then again from 2001 to 2004. He retired from PepsiCo in 2004 and was named honorary chairman in 2007.

The company did not give any further details about Mr. Sinha’s death, except that it occurred in his home in Mumbai at 2:30 pm local time on Thursday afternoon (UTC+5:30).

According to reports from local media outlets, Mr. Sinha was hospitalized for several days last month due to an undisclosed illness. PepsiCo’s chairman Suman Sinha passed away at the age of 83, leaving behind a legacy as one of India’s most influential business leaders.

Sinha was the chairman of PepsiCo for 16 years, from 2000 to 2018, and he oversaw the company through an era of unprecedented growth and change. Under his tenure, PepsiCo grew from $3 billion in sales in 2000 to $14 billion in 2018—and it became one of the world’s largest food companies by revenue.

During Sinha’s time at the helm, PepsiCo also acquired Tropicana Products and Quaker Foods Group. He was also responsible for launching several innovative products including Lay’s potato chips and Doritos tortilla chips.

In addition to his work at PepsiCo, Sinha served on the board of directors for other companies including Procter & Gamble (P&G), Kraft Foods, Inc., The Coca-Cola Company, The Walt Disney Company, The Dow Chemical Company, and Texaco Incorporated.

Sinha was born in Mumbai, India, and started his career as a student at the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta, where he studied economics and marketing. After graduating from IIT Bombay in 1957 with a master’s degree in economics, he went to work at PepsiCo as an executive trainee. He later became president of PepsiCo India before being promoted to president of PepsiCo USA in 1993.

In 1999, Sinha left PepsiCo to become a private equity investor for several years before returning to the company as chairman in 2001. He retired from the position in 2004 but remained on the board until 2010.