The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company Declares Quarterly Dividend; Elects Leechman as Officer
ATLANTA--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company today declared a regular quarterly dividend of 34 cents per common share. The dividend is payable October 1, 2007, to shareowners of record as of September 15, 2007.
The Board also elected Robert P. Leechman as vice president of the Company.
Mr. Leechman is chief customer and commercial officer. In this role, he is responsible for leading the Company's global system in building collaborative customer relationships across all key business channels, with a focus on best-in-class innovation, execution, shopper marketing and revenue growth management.
Mr. Leechman has more than 18 years' experience with the Coca-Cola system. After a nine-year career with Mars Inc. in sales management, he joined Coca-Cola & Schweppes Beverages in England in 1988, as general sales manager. In 1995, he moved to the Middle East Division as region sales manager for the Gulf States. Mr. Leechman led the 1993 re-entry of the Company into the key market of Saudi Arabia, after a 25-year absence, and became region manager for the six gulf countries. In 1997, he accepted the role in Australia as general manager for the 2000 Olympics.
In 2001, Mr. Leechman was appointed president of the Central Europe and Russia Division, and then briefly, the Central Europe Division after the creation of the European Union Group. He was named president, Global Customer and Commercial Leadership, Europe in September 2005. He was named to his current position in February 2007. Mr. Leechman is a British citizen and a graduate of Oxford University.
The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest beverage company. Along with Coca-Cola(R), recognized as the world's most valuable brand, the Company markets four of the world's top five nonalcoholic sparkling brands, including Diet Coke(R), Fanta(R) and Sprite(R), and a wide range of other beverages, including diet and light beverages, waters, juices and juice drinks, teas, coffees, energy and sports drinks. Through the world's largest beverage distribution system, consumers in more than 200 countries enjoy the Company's beverages at a rate exceeding 1.4 billion servings each day. For more information about The Coca-Cola Company, please visit our website at www.thecoca-colacompany.com.
Source: The Coca-Cola Company
Released July 19, 2007