Chris Kuechenmeister

Chris Kuechenmeister
Director, Public Relations
Frito-Lay North America

Chris Kuechenmeister serves as director of public relations for Frito-Lay North America. In this role he overseas all public relations strategy and program execution for the company’s core brands, including Doritos, Cheetos, Tostitos, Fritos, SunChips and its line of dips and salsas. In addition, Chris supports corporate reputation initiatives, crisis response and issues management for Frito-Lay and acts as a company spokesperson. He has played a key role in building national visibility and prominence for many of the company’s marquee programs, including the Doritos Crash the Super Bowl contest, the Tostitos brand’s sponsorship of the Fiesta Bowl, the repositioning of the Lay’s potato chips brand to focus on its simplicity of ingredients and the environmental sustainability work around the SunChips brand.

Prior to joining Frito-Lay, Chris was a group director for PainePR based in Los Angeles, where he was a member of the agency’s leadership team and led the firm’s national media practice. In this role, he was the firm’s lead media strategist and trainer and provided strategic counsel and program management for a range of consumer and corporate clients including Old Spice, Metamucil, Sony Consumer Electronics, Anheuser-Busch and Pampers. Chris also was a vice president with international public relations firm Hill & Knowlton where he served as the deputy practice leader for the company’s Los Angeles-based corporate/media team. Chris led corporate reputation and issues management initiatives for a wide range of clients including Walmart, BFGoodrich Tires, MGM Mirage and Farmers Insurance, among others.

Earlier in his career, Chris served as public relations manager for Michelin North America where he led external communications for the flagship Michelin brand, while also supporting corporate reputation initiatives, crisis response and the motorsports program. He has also worked at public relations firms in the Midwest and southeast.

Chris is a graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts in advertising and public relations. His work has been recognized by various industry awards including the Silver Anvil Award, SABRE Award and PR Week Award. He has served as an advisor or board member with various nonprofits, including Pathways LA, Loaves and Fishes and others. Chris resides in Plano, TX with his wife and two children.