The FINANCIAL — The Board of Directors of The Coca-Cola Company on December 8 elected four new officers. Barry Simpson, who was recently named Chief Information Officer, was elected as a Senior Vice President.
In addition, Robert Long, Global Vice President of Research and Development; Bernard McGuinness, Vice President of Science; and Darlene Nicosia, Vice President of Commercial Product Supply were elected as Vice Presidents of the company. Each of the elections is effective immediately.
Simpson, 56, became Chief Information Officer earlier this fall, and oversees all of the company’s global information technology strategy, services and operations. A nearly 30-year IT industry veteran, Simpson joined the Coca-Cola system in 2008 as Group CIO of the Coca-Cola Amatil (CCA) Group. He joined The Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta in January 2016. Before joining the Coca-Cola system, Simpson served in various IT leadership roles for Colgate-Palmolive based in Australia, Malaysia and the United States from 1990-2008. He holds a Bachelor’s of Economics from Sydney University and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, according to Coca-Cola.
Long, 59, has served as Global Vice President of Research and Development since June. In this role, he oversees the development of strategy and supporting capability to deliver technical innovation that supports the global business. He joined the company in 2004 as Vice President of Global Packaging Platforms and played a key role in the development of contour aluminum bottles and new sustainable packaging. He also has served as head of the company’s Research and Development Center in Tokyo and led the technical functions for Coca-Cola North America. Long holds a Bachelor of Science and Engineering degree in Chemical Engineering from Princeton University and an MBA in Finance from Xavier University of Ohio.
McGuinness, 50, is a 17-year Coca-Cola veteran who recently was appointed Vice President of Science. In this role he is responsible for leading Flavor Manufacturing, Flavor Ingredient Supply and Ingredient Quality. Since 2012, he has been responsible for all aspects of quality assurance and the implementation of environmental and safety standards across the company’s global concentrate manufacturing operations, most recently as Director of Process Optimization and Quality for Commercial Product Supply. He joined the company in Ballina, Ireland in 1999 and was named General Manager of the Ballina facility in 2009. He holds a Bachelor’s of Science and Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the National University of Ireland in Galway.
As Vice President of Commercial Product Supply, Nicosia, 48, leads a multi-billion dollar supply chain responsible for the manufacturing and sale of concentrates and beverage bases to Coca-Cola bottlers globally. Since joining the company in 1993 as an analyst in the Coca-Cola North America Fountain division, Nicosia has held positions of increasing responsibility, including as Distributor Account Executive for the company’s McDonald’s Division, Director of Procurement for the Coca-Cola Europe Group, and as the company’s Vice President and Chief Procurement Officer. Nicosia holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Business from The Ohio State University and a Master’s degree in Business Management from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Simpson, Long, McGuinness and Nicosia each are based in Atlanta.
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