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Among all of what is remarkable about Andreas Schulmeyer\u2019s finance career, the timing with which he enters and exits different career chapters is most worthy of some added attention.

For instance, consider his timing at Pepsico, where in the late 1990s he arrived inside Pepsi\u2019s corporate strategy group\u2014the beverage behemoth\u2019s performance-minded brain trust headed by none other than Pepsi up-and-comer Indra Nooyi. It\u2019s just this type of timing that makes you doubt that Schulmeyer ever has had to cross-examine himself by deploying a few \u201cIf onlys \u2026 .\u201d

To prove our point, we thought that we might speculate on what such a self-inquiry by Schulmeyer might sound like, so here goes:

\u201cIf only \u2026 I had been part of Nooyi\u2019s group when it helped to hatch Pepsi\u2019s historic acquisition of Quaker Oats.\u201d\xa0But wait: I was part of that very group.

\u201cWell, if only \u2026 I had agreed to join Pepsi China Beverages as CFO when Hong Kong\u2019s sovereignty was transferred\xa0to the People\u2019s Republic of China.\u201d\xa0But wait: I was CFO of Pepsi China Beverages when Hong Kong was handed over to China.

\u201cWell, then, if only \u2026 I had agreed to join Walmart\u2019s e-commerce business as CFO, today I would be a seasoned C-level e-commerce executive with a wealth of experience.\u201d\xa0But wait: I was CFO of Walmart\u2019s e-commerce business.

Finally, one \u201cif only\u201d of our own. \u201cIf only we told you how truly remarkable Schulmeyer\u2019s career has been.\u201d\xa0But wait: We just did.\xa0\u2013 Jack Sweeney

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