ATLANTA — J. Alexander “Sandy” Douglas Jr., president of Coca-Cola North America (CCNA), will retire from The Coca-Cola Co. on March 1, 2018. James L. “Jim” Dinkins, president of the Minute Maid business unit and chief retail sales officer for CCNA, will succeed Mr. Douglas as president on Jan. 1, 2018.
Mr. Douglas, who is also an executive vice-president of The Coca-Cola Co., joined Coca-Cola in 1988 as a district sales manager for the Foodservice Division of Coca-Cola USA, where he held a variety of positions of increasing responsibility. He was named vice-president of Coca-Cola USA in 1994, president of the North America Retail Division in 2000 and senior vice-president and chief customer officer of The Coca-Cola Co. in 2003. In 2006, Mr. Douglas was appointed president of the Coca-Cola North America Group and in 2013 was named senior vice-president and global chief customer officer. In 2015, he was elected as an executive vice-president of The Coca-Cola Co.
“Over the last decade, Mr. Douglas has worked with the Coca-Cola system to transform CCNA into a total beverage company, with a focus on growing value across an increasingly wide variety of products and packages,” Coca-Cola said. “Douglas and the company’s bottling partners have worked together to steward the largest bottler refranchising initiative in the Coca-Cola system’s history. He will retire from the company as the North American refranchising process nears completion, putting North American bottling operations in the hands of a diverse set of highly capable owners who are best positioned to serve local customers and communities.”
Mr. Dinkins began his career with Coca-Cola in 1988 and has served a variety of leadership roles within the company, including senior vice-president of sales in national retail sales for select grocery, club and convenience retail customers and president of the 7-Eleven global customer team.
“Our North American business has been thriving and is well positioned for continued success,” said James Quincey, president and chief executive officer of The Coca-Cola Co. “Sandy Douglas has done a tremendous job of leading CCNA to a strong position. Jim Dinkins is a highly experienced, respected executive who will lead Coca-Cola North America as it continues to evolve and grow.”
