ATLANTA — John Murphy, executive vice president and chief financial officer at the Coca-Cola Co., will add the title of president on Oct. 1 upon the retirement of Brian Smith.
Murphy, 60, has served as CFO since 2019. He oversees mergers and acquisitions, investor relations, global strategy, tax, treasury, audit, accounting and controls, reporting and analysis, real estate and risk management. As president and CFO, he will take on expanded duties including oversight of global ventures, platform services, online-to-offline digital transformation and customer and commercial leadership.
“John has been a vital business partner and leader at the company,” said James Quincey, chairman and CEO. “As president and CFO, John’s new role will be instrumental in driving critical, enterprisewide imperatives across the Coca-Cola system.”
Smith, 66, has served as president and chief operating officer since 2019. He will remain with the company as a senior executive through February.
“Brian has made innumerable contributions to the Coca-Cola system during his 25 years with the company,” Quincey said. “I thank him for his service and, on behalf of the company, wish him all the best.”
As chief financial officer, Murphy is responsible for leading the company’s global finance organization and representing the company with multiple stakeholders, including investors, lenders and rating agencies.
From 2016 to 2018, he served as president of the company’s former Asia Pacific group. He was also responsible for the company’s Bottling Investments Group, primarily focused on key markets in Southeast and Southwest Asia.
From 2013 to 2016, Murphy served as president, South Latin business unit, where he was responsible for operations in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay. From 2008 to 2012, he was president, Latin Center business unit, responsible for operations in 31 countries in Central America, the Caribbean and the Andean Region.
He began his career at Coca-Cola in 1988 as an international internal auditor.
Smith became president and chief operating officer in 2019 after two years as president of the company’s former Europe, Middle East and Africa Group. He had responsibility for operations of six business units spanning from Western Europe to Russia to Southern Africa.
Before that, he was group president of Latin America from 2013 to 2016. His key areas of focus included the development and effective deployment of talent, along with building Coca‑Cola leadership in still beverage categories via new, aligned system business models and bolt-on acquisitions in juices, teas and dairy.
Smith joined Coca‑Cola in 1997 as Latin America group manager for mergers and acquisitions.
The company is evaluating its future plans for the COO role. The company’s operating unit presidents will report to Quincey on an interim basis.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.