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John Stith Pemberton was a pharmacist in Columbus, Georgia. In 1886, he invented Coca-Cola as a patent medicine.
Pemberton lacked the business acumen to fully capitalize on his invention, so he sold the rights to Coca-Cola to Asa Candler in 1888 for just $2,300.
Asa Griggs Candler was an Atlanta-based entrepreneur who purchased the rights to Coca-Cola in 1888.
He made Coca-Cola a national phenomenon through innovative marketing campaigns and selling Coca-Cola by the bottle.
He was able to sell the company in 1916 for $25 million.
Ernest Woodruff orchestrated a hostile takeover of Coca-Cola in 1916 for $25 million.
Woodruff was only briefly CEO. He put his son Robert in charge just four years later.
Robert Woodruff was the head honcho of Coca-Cola from 1923 to 1954.
He’s known for making the brand a global powerhouse through aggressive marketing and expansion.
He planned to make Coke “within an arm’s reach of desire” wherever people went. This became a reality as Coca-Cola spread to over 190 countries. The drink even went into World War II battle zones to boost soldiers’ morale.
J. Paul Austin led Coca-Cola from 1962 till 1980.
He led the company through global expansion and societal shifts. He oversaw the launch of Tab and the iconic “Hilltop” commercial.
Roberto Goizueta was a Cuban-born executive who led Coca-Cola from 1981 to 1997.
He transformed the company from a $4 billion soda maker into a $150 billion global giant.
Everything was going well for Goizueta until, in 1985, he changed Coca-Cola’s century-old formula to create “New Coke.” This was the biggest scandal and blunder in Coca-Cola’s history.
He faced so much public backlash that the original recipe was quickly revived as “Coca-Cola Classic.”
Goizueta also helped launch Diet Coke and acquire brands like Minute Maid and Powerade.
Douglas Ivester became Coca-Cola’s CEO in 1997.
He would have to resign a few years later for illegally dodging Polish taxes and overinvesting in Russia right before its economic collapse.
He resigned under pressure amidst multiple lawsuits, leaving behind a trail of tears inside Atlanta headquarters.
Douglas Daft was CEO of Coca-Cola from 2000 to 2004.
He led the company during a tumultuous period marked by shifting consumer preferences away from sugary drinks. He attempted to revitalize growth through diversification, ultimately resigning amid stagnating stock prices.
It was a hard time to be the CEO of a large sugar corporation during that period. As consumers were shifting away toward healthier alternatives, Daft was tasked with diversifying Coca-Cola’s product line to attract these consumers.
One thing Daft did well was streamlining bottling operations and supply chains.
Neville Isdell was a company veteran who served as Coca-Cola’s CEO from 2004 to 2008.
He liked to leverage his international experience to expand the company’s global reach and was big on implementing sustainability initiatives.
The employees who worked with him say that Isdell restored stability and morale at Coca-Cola.
Muhtar Kent, the Turkish-born CEO of Coca-Cola, led the company through diversification and global expansion.
Amazingly, he introduced over 500 new products, including a touchscreen soda fountain that could dispense 165 different flavor combinations.
He retired in 2017 due to slowing sales.
James Quincey became CEO of Coca-Cola in 2017.
Quincey quickly laid off over 1,200 employees.
He invested in trendy brands like kombucha and acquired Costa Coffee for $5.1 billion.
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