Who is new Coca-Cola Beverages Africa CEO Huseyin Akin?
Recently SABMiller and The Coca-Cola Company named Hüseyin M. Akin as Chief Executive Officer of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, a prolific maker of soft and alcoholic drinks.
Akin currently serves as Deputy CEO of the Beverage Group of Anadolu Efes and is the Chairman of Coca-Cola Içecek’s (CCI) subsidiary boards.
From 1 March 2015, he will lead the strategic and integration planning for the new bottler which will serve 12 high-growth countries in Southern and East Africa and account for approximately 40 percent of all Coca-Cola beverage volumes in Africa. He will take up his role as CEO of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa after its establishment, subject to requisite regulatory approvals.
Phil Gutsche, Chairman-elect of Coca-Cola Beverages Africa, said: “We are extremely pleased that Coca-Cola Beverages Africa will benefit from Hüseyin’s strength of leadership, experience and expertise, gained from over 25 years in the Coca-Cola system.
“I have every confidence that Hüseyin will add significant value in ensuring this new African bottler achieves its tremendous growth potential.”
Prior to his current role, Akin held the position of President, International Operations for CCI, as well as General Manager for CCI Turkey. He is an Electrical Engineering and Computer Science graduate of Princeton University and also holds an MBA in Marketing and Finance from the Graduate School of Business, University of Chicago. Now he is looking to boost the presence of his current company in the food and drink scene across the continent.
Akin himself, added: “This is a very exciting opportunity to lead the world’s newest Coca-Cola bottler. As the continent’s largest bottler, Coca-Cola Beverages Africa has a generations-long growth opportunity ahead of it. The next few years will be critical as we merge and integrate the new business, in readiness to deliver its full potential.”
