ATLANTA — James Quincey has been named president and chief operating officer of The Coca-Cola Co. He will report directly to Muhtar Kent, chairman and chief executive officer.
Mr. Quincey is a 19-year veteran of Coca-Cola and since 2013 has been president of the company’s Europe Group, which comprises 38 countries, including the Member States of the European Union, the European Free Trade Association countries and the Balkans. He also played an instrumental role in leading the recently announced proposed merger of Coca-Cola Enterprises, Coca-Cola Iberian Partners and Coca-Cola Erfrischungsgetranke AG to form Coca-Cola European Partners P.L.C., in what will become the world’s largest independent Coca-Cola bottler based on net revenues.
Prior to his role as head of the Europe Group, Mr. Quincey was president of the Northwest Europe and Nordics Business Unit from 2008 to 2012. From 2005 to 2008, he was president of the Mexico Division. Mr. Quincey joined the company in Atlanta in 1996 as director, learning strategy for the Latin America Group, and went on to serve in a series of operational roles of increased responsibility in Latin America, leading to his appointment as president of the South Latin Division in 2003.
Prior to joining Coca-Cola, Mr. Quincey was a partner in strategy consulting at The Kalchas Group, a spin-off from Bain & Company and McKinsey.
He received a bachelor’s degree in electronic engineering from the University of Liverpool. He will relocate from London to Atlanta later this fall.
“Over nearly two decades, James has built an impressive track record of strategic, operational and commercial accomplishments,” Mr. Kent said. “He has proven to be a successful and trusted leader and brings to this position a strong reputation for developing people and inspiring teams. His wealth of experience across our global system, particularly in Europe and Latin America, will be a valuable asset as we continue to accelerate growth through our 2020 Vision and our previously announced five strategic actions. James is emblematic of the deep bench strength we have developed at Coca-Cola, and I could not be more pleased about his appointment to this critical role at this important time.”
In addition to Mr. Quincey’s appointment, Coca-Cola announced Ahmet Bozer, executive vice-president and president of Coca-Cola International, will retire after a 25-year career in the Coca-Cola system. Mr. Bozer will stay with Coca-Cola until March 2016 to ensure a smooth transition and serve as an adviser to Mr. Kent and the company on key strategic initiatives.
“During his more than two decades at Coca-Cola, Ahmet has made numerous contributions to our system,” Mr. Kent said. “As president of International, he was instrumental in leading both the recent streamlining of our international business and the evolution of key bottling operations in Africa and Western Europe. In addition, he has led the sustained growth of many of our key developing markets throughout Eurasia and Africa, and has played an important role in reinvigorating growth in critical Asia Pacific markets.”
