PRESS RELEASE
Published on June 15, 2004
Exhibit 99.1
THE COCA-COLA COMPANY
NEWS RELEASE Media Relations Department
P.O. Box 1734, Atlanta, Georgia 30301
Telephone (404) 676-2121
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Sonya Soutus
(404) 676-2683
IRIAL FINAN TO LEAD COCA-COLA BOTTLING RELATIONSHIPS
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ATLANTA, June 15, 2004 -- The Coca-Cola Company today announced that
Irial Finan has been named president, Bottling Investments, a newly established
position responsible for managing the Company's equity investments in bottler
operations and overseeing the operations of Company-owned bottlers around the
world. In total, these combined investments in Coca-Cola bottlers have a current
market value of more than $11 billion.
Mr. Finan was most recently chief executive officer of Coca-Cola
Hellenic Bottling Company SA, and has spent 23 years working within the
Coca-Cola bottling system. He will report to E. Neville Isdell, chairman and
chief executive officer. It is expected that Mr. Finan will serve on the boards
of directors of certain of the Company's equity investments and coordinate the
Company's board representation with others. The general managers of the
Company-owned bottlers will report to Mr. Finan effective August 1, 2004.
Mr. Isdell said, "Irial is a world-class executive with a proven track
record of achievement in the beverage industry. We are absolutely delighted he
will be assuming this vital role, which, in itself, underscores the critical
importance of bottler success all around the world.
"This appointment and structure will result in a totally new model for
managing our consolidated bottling investments by creating what is essentially
an internal bottler that will interact with our concentrate business in the same
way as our independent bottlers. In the past, I do not believe we have managed
our significant investment in bottling through the prism of a bottler.
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"This new structure underscores my strong belief that we must view our
Company-owned bottling operations as strategic investments. Such a significant
change in orientation requires leadership of exceptional skill and experience.
Irial is uniquely qualified to build and optimize the strategic asset our
bottling operations represent and to realize our vision for them.
"Under Irial's leadership, we will bring a true investment perspective
to the bottlers where we hold significant equity and a greater focus to managing
our Company-owned bottling operations. Additionally, our operating leaders will
now be free to devote their full attention to our marketing, innovation, and
relationship-building efforts in all of our markets. Irial is a unique asset to
the Coca-Cola family, and we are delighted to have him join us here in Atlanta,"
Isdell said.
Mr. Finan said, "I am very pleased to return to the Coca-Cola family
and to put my experience and knowledge of the system back to work. Our business
is about providing great products to our customers and consumers. The key to
doing this is to have great people executing in the marketplace in a world-class
way. I'm happy to be a part of what I believe will be a very exciting future for
our system."
Mr. Finan has served in positions of increasing responsibility in the
Coca-Cola system since 1981. From 2000 to 2003, Mr. Finan served as chief
executive officer of Coca-Cola Hellenic Bottling Company SA, during which time
he managed the merger integration of Coca-Cola Beverages plc and Hellenic
Bottling SA and led the combined company in 26 countries. From 1995 to 1999, he
served as managing director of Molino Beverages, with responsibility for
expanding markets including the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland, Romania,
Moldova, Russia and Nigeria. Prior to that, Mr. Finan worked in several markets
across Europe. Mr. Finan is also a non-executive director of Eircom plc, and
chairman of that company's Audit Committee.
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along
with Coca-Cola, recognized as the world's best-known brand, the Company markets
four of the world's top five soft drink brands, including diet Coke, Fanta and
Sprite, and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light soft
drinks, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees and sports drinks.
Through
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the world's largest distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries
enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding 1 billion servings each day.
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