The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company today promoted J.
Alexander “Sandy” Douglas Jr., currently Senior Vice President and
President, Coca-Cola North America to Executive Vice President, and
promoted Dr. Ed Hays, currently Vice President and Chief Technical
Officer to Senior Vice President. Additionally, it elected two new Vice
Presidents – Julie Hamilton, Chief Customer and Commercial Leadership
Officer; and Kelly Johnstone, Global Operations Director, Strategic
Security. Each of the appointments is effective immediately.
Dr. Ed Hays, Senior Vice President and Chief Technical Officer, The Coca-Cola Company (Photo: Business Wire)
Douglas, 53, has served as Senior Vice President and President of
Coca-Cola North America since Jan. 1, 2014. He joined the Company in
1988 as a District Sales Manager for the Foodservice Division of
Coca-Cola USA. He has held a number of senior leadership positions
within Coca-Cola including leading the North American Field Sales and
Marketing Groups, the North American Retail Division and most recently
as the Company’s Global Chief Customer Officer. A 1984 graduate of the
University of Virginia, Douglas began his career at the Procter & Gamble
Company working in a variety of sales and management roles before
joining Coca-Cola.
Hays, 56, became Coca-Cola’s Chief Technical Officer, effective March 1,
after previously serving as Vice President, Global Science, Regulatory
and Formula Governance. Hays joined The Coca-Cola Company in 1985 as a
scientist in Corporate R&D and has held positions of increasing
responsibility throughout his career, including Director, Product
Development in Corporate R&D, Director, R&D, for the Middle East and Far
East Group and Director, Corporate R&D. He was elected a Company Vice
President in 2000 and in 2001 began leading the Company’s Science
Function. Hays holds B.S.A., M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Food Science from
the University of Georgia.
Hamilton, 49, became Chief Customer and Commercial Leadership Officer,
effective April 1, after serving for four years as Executive Assistant
to Chairman and CEO Muhtar Kent. She joined The Coca-Cola Company in
1996 and has held a variety of sales, marketing and operational
positions including President of the Global Wal-Mart Group, Group Vice
President North America Wal-Mart Team, Vice President, Global Customer
Development, Group Director for Global On-Premise Customers and Director
of Franchise Sales & Marketing – Northwest U.S. Region. Hamilton studied
at London’s Imperial College of Science and Economics and has a
bachelor’s degree in journalism and marketing from the University of
Missouri.
Johnstone, 54, has been named Vice President, Strategic Security,
effective May 1, succeeding Jim Hush who is retiring from this position
after 23 years with the Company. An experienced security leader with
more than 30 years of experience, Johnstone joined The Coca-Cola Company
in 2000 as a senior security manager. She has held positions of
increasing responsibility throughout her Coca-Cola career including
serving as Executive Assistant to the Company’s Chief Administrative
Officer, Alex Cummings. Prior to joining Coca-Cola, Johnstone served in
a variety of federal law enforcement roles including with the U.S. Food
and Drug Administration, the U.S. Customs Service and the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service. She is a graduate of the University of Florida
and the Harvard Business School, Graduate Management Program.
The Board today also declared a regular quarterly dividend of 33 cents
per common share. The dividend is payable July 1, 2015 to shareowners of
record as of June 15, 2015.
The Board earlier this year approved the Company’s 53rd
consecutive annual dividend increase, raising the quarterly dividend 8
percent from 30.5 cents to 33 cents per common share. This is equivalent
to an annual dividend of $1.32 per share, up from $1.22 per share in
2014. The increase reflects the Board’s confidence in the Company’s
long-term cash flow.
About The Coca-Cola Company
The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage
company, refreshing consumers with more than 500 sparkling and still
brands. Led by Coca-Cola, one of the world’s most valuable and
recognizable brands, our Company’s portfolio features 20 billion-dollar
brands including Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Coca-Cola Zero, vitaminwater,
Powerade, Minute Maid, Simply, Georgia and Del Valle. Globally, we are
the No. 1 provider of sparkling beverages, ready-to-drink coffees, and
juices and juice drinks. Through the world’s largest beverage
distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy our
beverages at a rate of 1.9 billion servings a day. With an enduring
commitment to building sustainable communities, our Company is focused
on initiatives that reduce our environmental footprint, support active,
healthy living, create a safe, inclusive work environment for our
associates, and enhance the economic development of the communities
where we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we rank among the
world’s top 10 private employers with more than 700,000 system
associates. For more information, visit Coca-Cola Journey at www.coca-colacompany.com,
follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CocaColaCo,
visit our blog, Coca-Cola Unbottled, at www.coca-colablog.com
or find us on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/company/the-coca-cola-company.
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