Henrique Braun, a Brazilian raised in Rio de Janeiro and with a career spanning almost 30 years at Coca-Cola, was chosen for . Current executive vice president and director of operations, he oversees all of the company’s operating units and succeeds James Quincey, who will continue as executive chairman.
Braun is 57 years old, born in California and has dual citizenship. He graduated in agricultural engineering from the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro, completed a master’s degree in science from Michigan State University and obtained an MBA from Georgia State University. He joined Coca-Cola in 1996 as a global engineering trainee in Atlanta.
From then on, he covered different fronts of the multinational. He worked in operations, marketing, innovation, supply chain and areas related to bottler management. In Europe, he served on the non-carbonated beverages board. In Brazil, he held the vice-presidency of innovation and operations.
Advancement in the hierarchy came with regional command posts. Between 2013 and 2016, he led the company’s operations in Greater China and Korea. He then presided over Coca-Cola Brazil between 2016 and 2020 and headed Latin American operations from 2020 to 2022. He then became president of international development, a role that covered seven of the nine global operating units.
His appointment as COO, at the beginning of 2025, consolidated his role as responsible for the brand’s global markets. According to the company, its history in different geographies and its operations in a period marked by changes in consumption, logistical pressures and greater competition contributed to its choice.
Upon being announced as future CEO, Braun stated that he intends to intensify ongoing initiatives and reinforce partnerships with bottlers around the world. “I will focus on continuing the momentum we have built with our system,” he said in a statement. He highlighted that he sees “huge opportunities in a rapidly changing global market”.
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James Quincey, who has led Coca-Cola since 2017, will remain as executive chairman. Under his management, the portfolio gained more space for sugar-free drinks, premium products and categories such as milk, coffee, sparkling water and energy drinks, a movement that should continue under the new leadership.
