Muhtar Kent

Muhtar Kent is chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company. Mr. Kent joined The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in 1978 and has held a variety of marketing and operations roles throughout his career. In 1985, he was appointed general manager of Coca-Cola Turkey and Central Asia. From 1989 to 1995, he served as president of the company's East Central Europe Division and senior vice president of Coca-Cola International, with responsibility for 23 countries. Between 1995 and 1998, Mr. Kent served as managing director of Coca-Cola Amatil-Europe, covering bottling operations in 12 countries. From 1999 until his return to The Coca-Cola Company in May 2005, he served as president and CEO of the Efes Beverage Group, a large publicly held beverage company which was also the majority shareholder of Coca-Cola Icecek, A.S., which is currently the sixth largest bottler in the Coca-Cola system. Mr. Kent was president and chief operating officer of The Coca-Cola Company's North Asia, Eurasia, and Middle East Group from 2005 until early 2006, where he was responsible for the operations across a broad and diverse geographic region that included China, Japan, and Russia. Starting in February 2006, Mr. Kent served as president of Coca-Cola International, responsible for operations outside of North America, until his appointment in December 2006 as president and chief operating officer of The Coca-Cola Company, overseeing all operations of the business. He succeeded Neville Isdell as CEO of the company on July 1, 2008, and as chairman on April 23, 2009. Mr. Kent holds a B.S. degree in economics from Hull University, England and a M.S. degree in administrative sciences from London City University in London. He also holds an honorary doctorate law degree from Oglethorpe University in Atlanta and an honorary doctorate degree in economics from the University of Hull. Mr. Kent is a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association, cochair of The Consumer Goods Forum, member of the Business Roundtable, and director of the Special Olympics International. Mr. Kent is also the chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council and of the U.S.-ASEAN Business Council.