Sandy Douglas will retire as president of Coca-Cola North America (CCNA) after almost 30 years with the company, replaced by chief retail officer and Minute Maid president Jim Dinkins.
CCNA said that Douglas, who joined Coca-Cola in 1988, had “reinvigorated growth in core sparkling beverages while also expanding the group’s total beverage portfolio”.
Sandy Douglas said: “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. 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.”
Over the last decade, 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. In particular, he has worked together with the company’s bottling partners in North America to steward the largest refranchising initiative in Coca-Cola’s history.
He will retire from the company as the North American refranchising process nears completion, with a transitional period ending in March 2018. Jim Dinkins will begin his new duties from the beginning of January 2018, reporting directly to Coke CEO James Quincey.
Quincey said: “Our North American business has been thriving and is well positioned for continued success. 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.”
Dinkins has held a variety of leadership positions throughout his career and, like Sandy Douglas, joined Coca-Cola in 2008. He was most recently the president of CCNA’s Minute Maid business unit and chief retail officer for CCNA.
He added: “I am honoured and humbled to lead CCNA during a time of great opportunity in our industry. 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.
Source: FoodBev
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