Coca-Cola announced Thursday it named company veteran Brian Smith as its next chief operating officer, filling a post that had been vacant since James Quincey became CEO last year.
Smith will take on his new role at the start of next year. He currently serves as president of the company’s Europe, Middle East, and Africa group.
Smith has been with the company since 1997. Prior to his current role, he served as president of both the Brazil and Mexico divisions before he was named group president for Latin America. He has served as group president of EMEA since 2016.
The company also said Kathy Waller, its chief financial officer, will retire by the end of the year, after 32 years of service. John Murphy, the president of Coke’s Asia Pacific Unit, will replace her.
Coke shares were recently down slightly in trading Thursday. The stock has fallen about 1 percent over the past year.
In addition, to these appointments, Coke also tapped Nancy Quan as its chief technical officer, effective Jan. 1, 2019. Quan replaces Ed Hays, who will retire at the end of March. Chief Information Officer Barry Simpson’s duties will be expanded at the start of next year, the company said.
