ATLANTA -- Coca-Cola North America will realign its business beginning Jan. 1, 2016, including reinstituting the USA Operations to lead all business activities related to bottler-delivered beverages in the United States. This new division includes brand strategy, marketing and integrated content for all sparkling and still brands; national retail sales; and franchise and commercial leadership, according to an internal memo from president Sandy Douglas shared with CSP Daily News.
"As Coca-Cola North America (CCNA) continues to accelerate our results and execution on our strategic focus areas, we are building our brands, creating customer value and enhancing our capabilities to sustain and repeat our success. We also have moved forward to evolve our operating model as we refranchise more bottling territories to expanding Coca-Cola bottlers," the company said. "Now, we are ready to take another important step by aligning our organization around the following four lines of business:
- U.S. bottler-delivered beverages
- U.S. foodservice and on-premise
- The Minute Maid Co., and
- Coca-Cola Ltd. Canada."
The restructuring comes as two significant players in the Coca-Cola organization exit the company.
Wendy Clark, president of sparkling brands and strategic marketing, is leaving to become president and CEO of North America for DDB Worldwide, and executive vice president and chief administrative officer Alexander B. Cummings will retire March 31, 2016.
"I am pleased to announce that Hendrik Steckhan will be promoted to become president, USA Operations, reporting to me," Douglas said. "Hendrik is uniquely qualified for this important role, having most recently served as president of still beverages for CCNA, after leading our business in Germany to renewed growth and success from 2010 to 2014. Prior to his recent service in Germany, Hendrik led the revitalization of our core brand business as president of sparkling brands for CCNA from 2007 to 2010."
Jim Dinkins, chief retail sales officer, and Rudy Salas, senior vice president, Franchise and Commercial Leadership, will report to Hendrik.
Additionally, two key marketing functions will be part of USA Operations: brand marketing and strategic marketing. Two seasoned marketers will direct these functions, "demonstrating our deep bench of senior marketing talent."
Stuart Kronauge, currently senior vice president of customer marketing, will lead brand marketing, responsible for the Coca-Cola trademark, Sprite and flavors, glaceau, water, tea and coffee.
Ivan Pollard, who now serves as senior vice president of connections, investments and assets, will lead strategic marketing to include content, connections, investments, assets and Portfolio Strategy & Innovations. Both Kronauge and Pollard will report to Hendrik.
CCNA’s customer marketing organization will be aligned to the U.S. Foodservice & On-Premise and National Retail Sales organizations. The leaders of these customer marketing teams will be named later, the memo said.
"Our other business units will continue operating as they have under their current leaders, who also will report to me: Kathleen Ciaramello, president, Coca-Cola Foodservice & On-Premise; Mel Landis, president, The Minute Maid Co.; Mike Saint John, president, Value-added Dairy and Nutritional Health Beverages; Scott Uzzell, president, Venturing and Emerging Brands; and Christian Polge, president, Canada Business Unit (Coca-Cola Ltd.)," Douglas said.
The leaders of other internal departments, such as finance, human resources, IT and legal, will continue to report to Douglas.
"These changes capitalize on CCNA’s leadership talent and better align our structure to our strategy and lines of business, facilitating improved execution going forward," Douglas said. "These changes also reflect our continued focus on developing our people and accelerating execution and business momentum."
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