Leadership Transition for Coca-Cola North America

ATLANTA, (October 23, 2017) (BUSINESS WIRE) –The Coca-Cola Company today announced that J. Alexander “Sandy” Douglas Jr. will retire as President of Coca-Cola North America (CCNA). He will be succeeded by James L. “Jim” Dinkins, who currently serves as President of the Minute Maid Business Unit and Chief Retail Sales Officer for CCNA.

Douglas, who joined Coca-Cola in 1988, has been a driving force in transforming CCNA for long-term, sustainable success. Under Douglas’ leadership, CCNA has reinvigorated growth in core sparkling beverages while also expanding the group’s total beverage portfolio.

Dinkins is an innovative Coca-Cola leader who, like Douglas, started his career with the company in 1988. Dinkins was promoted to his current position earlier this year. Dinkins will begin his new duties Jan. 1, 2018, reporting to Coca-Cola President and CEO James Quincey. To ensure a seamless transition, Douglas will retire from the company on March 1, 2018.

“Our North American business has been thriving and is well positioned for continued success,” Quincey said. “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.”

Over the last decade, Douglas, who is also an Executive Vice President of The Coca-Cola Company, 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. 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.

“I am incredibly grateful to James Quincey and everyone within our North American system for giving me the opportunity to lead our business through a period of phenomenal change,” Douglas said. “I feel incredibly positive about what lies ahead for our system because I have tremendous confidence in James, Jim Dinkins, our CCNA leadership team, our bottlers and our people throughout the United States and Canada.”

Dinkins has held a variety of leadership positions in his career.

“I am honored and humbled to lead CCNA during a time of great opportunity in our industry,” Dinkins said. “I am excited about James’ vision for the company, and I am thankful to Sandy for his leadership in building a strong foundation for Coca-Cola North America.”

About Jim Dinkins

As President of CCNA’s Minute Maid Business Unit, Dinkins leads a team that produces, sells, markets and distributes leading brands in juices, natural health beverages, chilled tea and value-added dairy. He is also Chief Retail Sales Officer for CCNA, leading a team that manages strategic relationships with global and national customers across the grocery, mass, club, drug, value, convenience and e-commerce channels in the United States.

Previously, Dinkins served in a variety of leadership roles with Coca-Cola, including Senior Vice President, Sales in National Retail Sales for select grocery, club and convenience retail customers. He was also President of the 7-Eleven Global Customer Team.

Dinkins has spent a total of 26 years with The Coca-Cola Company, starting in 1988. From 1999 to 2002, he held executive roles with Service Resources, Inc., and The Profit Recovery Group International, Inc. Dinkins started his business career in 1984 with Procter & Gamble. He is a native of Atlanta. Dinkins graduated from the University of Georgia and earned an MBA from Emory University.

About Sandy Douglas

Douglas began his Coca-Cola career in 1988 as a district sales manager for the Foodservice Division of Coca-Cola USA, where he went on to hold a variety of positions of increasing responsibility. He was named Vice President of Coca-Cola USA in 1994, assuming leadership of the Coca-Cola Enterprises Sales & Marketing Group.

In 1998, his responsibilities were increased to include the entire North American Field Sales and Marketing Groups. He was appointed President of the North America Retail Division in 2000. In 2003, he was appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Customer Officer of The Coca-Cola Company, where he led the company’s customer and commercial leadership organization. In 2006, he was appointed President of the Coca-Cola North America Group and, in 2013, was appointed Senior Vice President and Global Chief Customer Officer. In 2015, he was elected as an Executive Vice President of The Coca-Cola Company. Under Douglas’ leadership, CCNA has been the fastest-growing large consumer goods company in North America for three consecutive years.

Douglas also has been a key leader in forging mutually beneficial customer and stakeholder relationships for Coca-Cola around the world. He has served on the boards of the American Beverage Association, the Grocery Manufacturers Association, the Food Marketing Institute, Coca-Cola European Partners, the East Lake Foundation and Morehouse College, among many others.

Douglas began his career at Procter & Gamble in 1984. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia.

As Douglas moves forward after his Coca-Cola career, he is looking forward to spending time with his family as he and his wife, Jessica, create a family foundation focused on children in under-resourced communities. He also plans to continue to serve in various board-level commitments and other business activities, including as a director for Coca-Cola European Partners.

About The Coca-Cola Company

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest total beverage company, offering over 500 brands to people in more than 200 countries. Of our 21 billion-dollar brands, 19 are available in lower- and no-sugar options to help people everywhere more easily control added sugar. In addition to our namesake Coca-Cola drinks, some of our household names around the world include: AdeS soy-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater, and Zico coconut water. At Coca-Cola, we’re serious about making positive contributions to our world. That starts with reducing sugar in our drinks and bringing- new and different drinks to people everywhere. It also means continuously working to reduce our environmental impact, creating rewarding careers for our associates, and bringing economic opportunity wherever we operate. In fact, together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people around the world. For more information, visit our digital magazine Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com and follow The Coca-Cola Company on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.