Coca-Cola paves way for new president

It has been announced that Coca-Cola has elected a new senior vice president and president of Coca-Cola North America, or CCNA. James L. “Jim” Dinkins, the current president of the Minute Maid business unit and chief retail office of CCNA, will be taking over for J. Alexander “Sandy” Douglas Jr., who previously announced his retirement.

“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,” Douglas, said. “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.”

In his new role which will take effect on Jan. 1, Dinkins will report to current president and CEO, James Quincy. In order to ensure a smooth transition for the role, Douglas will formally retire on March. 1.

Dinkins began his career within the Atlanta-based company in 1988, and since then has held a variety of roles including senior vice president, sales in national retail for select grocery, club and convenience retail customers. He also was president of the 7-Eleven global customer team. 

“I am honored 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," Dinkins said.