How to become ceo of coca cola

In order to continue enjoying our site, we ask that you confirm your identity as a human. Thank you very much for your cooperation.

July 21, 2022 08:30 AM Eastern Daylight Time

ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Coca-Cola Company today announced that John Murphy will become president and chief financial officer effective Oct. 1. Murphy, who currently serves as executive vice president and CFO, will add the president role following the retirement of Brian Smith.

Smith, 66, has served as president and chief operating officer since 2019. He will remain with the company as a senior executive through February 2023.

“Brian has made innumerable contributions to the Coca-Cola system during his 25 years with the company,” said James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. “I thank him for his service and, on behalf of the company, wish him all the best.”

Murphy, 60, has served as CFO since 2019. He oversees Mergers & Acquisitions, Investor Relations, Global Strategy, Tax, Treasury, Audit, Accounting and Controls, Reporting and Analysis, Real Estate and Risk Management. As president and CFO, he will take on expanded duties, including oversight of Global Ventures; Platform Services; online-to-offline (O2O) digital transformation; and customer and commercial leadership.

“John has been a vital business partner and leader at the company,” Quincey said. “As president and CFO, John’s new role will be instrumental in driving critical, enterprise-wide imperatives across the Coca-Cola system.”

About Brian Smith

Smith became president and COO in 2019 following two years as president of the company’s former Europe, Middle East and Africa Group. He had responsibility for operations of six business units spanning from Western Europe to Russia to Southern Africa.

Prior to that role, Smith was group president of Latin America from 2013 to 2016. His key areas of focus included the development and effective deployment of talent, along with building Coca‑Cola leadership in still beverage categories via new, aligned system business models and bolt-on acquisitions in juices, teas and dairy.

Smith joined Coca‑Cola in 1997 as Latin America group manager for mergers and acquisitions. He was responsible for bottler and brand transactions and helped formulate and execute system franchise strategies.

From 2001 to 2002, he worked as executive assistant to the company’s chief operating officer and vice chairman. From 2002 to 2008, he was president of the Brazil division and, from 2008 to 2012, served as president for the Mexico division.

The company is evaluating its future plans for the chief operating officer role. The company’s operating unit presidents will report to Quincey on an interim basis.

About John Murphy

As CFO, Murphy is responsible for leading the company’s global finance organization and representing the company with multiple stakeholders, including investors, lenders and rating agencies.

From 2016 to 2018, Murphy served as president of the company’s former Asia Pacific group. He was also responsible for the company’s Bottling Investments Group, primarily focused on key markets in Southeast and Southwest Asia.

From 2013 to 2016, Murphy served as president, South Latin business unit, where he was responsible for operations in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. From 2008 to 2012, he was president, Latin Center business unit, responsible for operations in 31 countries in Central America, the Caribbean and the Andean Region.

He began his career at Coca-Cola in 1988 as an international internal auditor and, in 1991, moved to Coca-Cola Japan as executive assistant to the CFO. He went on to serve in expanded responsibilities in various finance, planning and operations roles at Coca-Cola Japan and subsequently worked for the Coca-Cola bottling partner in Singapore, F&N Coca-Cola Ltd.

In 1996, Murphy returned to Coca-Cola as region manager in Indonesia. In 2000, he served as vice president of Business Systems in Coca-Cola North America before returning to Coca-Cola Japan as executive vice president and CFO. In 2004, he was promoted to deputy president of Coca-Cola Japan before returning to Atlanta in 2005 as vice president of strategic planning for Coca-Cola, a position he held until he became president of the Latin Center business unit in 2008.

Before joining Coca-Cola, Murphy worked for four years as an auditor for Price Waterhouse in Dublin.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is a total beverage company with products sold in more than 200 countries and territories. Our company’s purpose is to refresh the world and make a difference. We sell multiple billion-dollar brands across several beverage categories worldwide. Our portfolio of sparkling soft drink brands includes Coca-Cola, Sprite and Fanta. Our hydration, sports, coffee and tea brands include Dasani, smartwater, vitaminwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Powerade, Costa, Georgia, Gold Peak and Ayataka. Our nutrition, juice, dairy and plant-based beverage brands include Minute Maid, Simply, innocent, Del Valle, fairlife and AdeS. We’re constantly transforming our portfolio, from reducing sugar in our drinks to bringing innovative new products to market. We seek to positively impact people’s lives, communities and the planet through water replenishment, packaging recycling, sustainable sourcing practices and carbon emissions reductions across our value chain. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people, helping bring economic opportunity to local communities worldwide. Learn more at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.

By Martinne Geller

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Coca-Cola Co KO.N said on Thursday Chief Operating Officer Muhtar Kent will succeed Neville Isdell as chief executive of the world's largest soft drink company on July 1, 2008.

Muhtar A. Kent attends a session at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos January 24, 2007. Coca-Cola Co said on Thursday that its chief operating officer, Kent, will succeed Neville Isdell as chief executive of the world's largest soft drink company on July 1, 2008.REUTERS/Pascal Lauener

Isdell, 64, who was brought out of retirement in 2004 to lead a turnaround at Coke, will remain chairman until the company’s annual shareholder meeting in April 2009.

Kent, who will remain president of the Atlanta-based company, helped orchestrate the acquisition of vitamin-water maker Glaceau earlier this year, and is given credit for Coke’s strong volume and double-digit earnings growth so far this year.

“We don’t expect major strategic changes as Kent has been a major driver in the notable shift in the company’s strategic direction,” Citigroup analyst Bonnie Herzog said, citing the company’s recent willingness to venture outside its own brands for growth with the acquisitions of Glaceau and Fuze.

Kent, 55, was born in the United States but has dual citizenship with Turkey, has been the clear heir apparent for more than a year, according to John Sicher, editor and publisher of industry newsletter Beverage Digest.

“It makes perfect sense. Kent is very highly regarded throughout the Coke system and has virtually spent his life preparing for this job,” Sicher said. “It’s also a positive having Isdell stay on as chairman because it will make for a very good and smooth transition.”

Sicher said the company has two challenges ahead: to keep the international business growing and to turn around the business in North America.

“Both are at the top of Kent’s priority list,” Sicher said.

Coca-Cola, like PepsiCo Inc PEP.N, has suffered a domestic slowdown in sales of its traditional soft drinks as health-conscious consumers opt for bottled water or tea, which they view as healthier. Strength in emerging markets, such as Russia, India and China, has helped offset this weakness.

Kent joined Coca-Cola in 1978 and held a variety of marketing and operational roles leading to his appointment as president of the East-Central European Division in 1989. He worked closely with Isdell in this role and supervised the relaunch of Coca-Cola throughout East-Central Europe.

He later became managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil-Europe, part of Australia-based Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd CCL.AX a regional bottler based in Sydney. But he left the bottler after a 1996 short-selling incident.

Kent’s financial adviser sold short 100,000 shares of Amatil on Kent’s behalf just hours before the company issued a profit warning in November 1996. Short-sellers typically borrow shares and sell them, betting the price will fall, so they will be able to buy back the shares to repay the lender at a lower price.

Australian securities regulators investigated the incident, declined criminal prosecution and struck a civil settlement with Kent, who relinquished his profit from the transaction and paid a fine.

Kent returned to Coke in May 2005 as president of the North Asia, Eurasia and Middle East Group. He was named president of Coca-Cola International in January 2006 and appointed president and chief operating officer in December 2006.

At that time, Isdell said he and the board were satisfied that the short-selling incident, which resulted in a A$324,000 profit for Kent, was “the result of an honest mistake.”

Under Isdell’s watch, Coke has introduced Coke Zero, its most notable brand launch in many years, and acquired Glaceau. It also has smoothed over relationships with bottlers and launched a new marketing campaign.

Coke shares were down 28 cents, or 0.4 percent, at $62.77 on the New York Stock Exchange.